Veggies with Wedgies

April 1, 2014
The vegetables in Farmer John's garden learn all about underwear in Doodler's latest. Those who find underwear funny (mostly kids between 2 and 7) will have no problem overlooking the facts presented here: The veggies aren't rooted in the ground; they have no hands, legs or butt cheeks to speak of; and they don't have clothes to wear underwear under. None of this prevents them from checking out the many pairs of tighty whities (all different sizes) on the laundry line above their garden patch, wondering what they are for, and finally trying them on in various ways until Carrot finally sets them straight. Bad fits result in the titular wedgies, so they swap underwear until most are wedgie-free. While adults will surely cringe at the entire package, these veggies will have kids looking at their underwear in new ways. For those making the transition from diapers, this could be a turning point, especially considering the catchy jingle the vegetables sing at the end. Doodler's characters convey a lot of emotion with just round eyes and simple mouths, though it's too bad that Carrot, a seeming underwear expert, is stereotypically portrayed wearing glasses. But really, what's not to like (if you're very young) about digital vegetables with underwear on? Beware, though, kids may want to wear their underwear like the veggies--without any clothes on top. (Picture book. 2-5)

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April 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-From the author of the "Bear in Underwear" series comes another tale of undergarment silliness. When Farmer John hangs his laundry by the vegetable garden, his "curious vegetables" notice something they've never seen before-underwear. Puzzled by the strange objects at first, the veggies decide to give undies a shot after a bespectacled carrot clarifies the mystery. A comical struggle to get the tighty-whities down and put them on correctly ensues, resulting in the titular punch line-veggies with wedgies. Illustrated in a pared-down, cartoonish style, the vegetables are expressive but hardly more than googly-eyed shapes on colorful backgrounds; the text is somewhat longer than the story merits. Nevertheless, underwear is an endlessly hilarious subject for kids, and those new to the concept are sure to sympathize with the veggies' struggle to master it.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
Preschool-G Doodler (Rawr! 2013) has penned many books about bears in underwear, and he continues his examination of nonhuman undergarment usage in this extremely silly picture book. A laundry line of briefs catches the attention of the vegetables on Farmer John's farm. Beet thinks they look comfy. Mushroom thinks they might be hats. Then smarty-pants Carrot (wearing glasses, of course) pipes up to explain that they're underpants. Pea thinks underwear comes from the underwear fairy, and Pumpkin guesses that you get them trick-or-treating. But things really get goofy once the troupe of veggies decides to borrow the farmer's underwear and try it on. Small children will be beside themselves as Corn puts a pair on over his ears and Beet wears a pair on his greens. Parents may be less thrilled as the vegetables, once they get the pants on the right end, realize that they have picked the wrong sizes, and trade with each other. Doodler's cartoony artwork, consisting of blocky, colorful figures with big googly eyes on simple backgrounds, complements this comic free-for-all.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)