Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

Naked mole rats are pretty funny to begin with, and they're even funnier as illustrated by Mo Willems, with their bubblegum-pink complexions, outsize heads, and big buckteeth. Author Willems is the reasonable voice of Wilbur while his daughter, Trixie, narrates the bulk of the book in a childlike but professional voice. The other naked mole rats are annoyed that Wilbur prefers to wear clothes. "When I get dressed, I can be fancy, or funny, or cool, or I can just be an astronaut," Wilbur says. Persistent background music occasionally threatens to slow down the pacing and overwhelm the gentle, silly story, but young listeners and their parents will laugh and appreciate the message about acceptance and self-expression. J.M.D. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 3, 2008
In the opening pages of this buoyant picture book, Willems (Knuffle Bunny
) informs readers that “for this story” they need only know three things about naked mole rats: “1. They are a little bit rat. 2. They are a little bit mole. 3. They are all naked.” The exception to point number three, however, is Wilbur, who revels in a wardrobe that ranges from a turtleneck and beret to an astronaut suit—infuriating his brethren. When the naked mole rats complain to their leader, Grand-pah, he gathers the colony and issues a proclamation. Happily for Wilbur, it's a call for tolerance. Willems is fully aware that nudity = comic gold for this audience, and his legion of emotive, square-headed rodents—far cuter than in real life—are paired successfully with droll prose (“Grand-pah did look heroic. Grand-pah did look regal. But he would also look heroic and regal in a casual shirt and some summer slacks”). Straightforward and engaging. Ages 3–up.