cover image Creepy Pair of Underwear!

Creepy Pair of Underwear!

Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4424-0298-0

Five years after the Caldecott Honor–winning Creepy Carrots!, Jasper Rabbit returns, and he’s being frightened by something equally improbable: the green undies he insisted his mother buy for him. With their “ghoulish, greenish glow” and a stitched and bolted face à la Frankenstein’s monster, these tighty not-so-whities start keeping Jasper up at night, and nothing—not even throwing them away or mailing them to China—can prevent them from returning to his bedroom. Once again, Reynolds and Brown are in perfect comedic synch as they channel the surprises and creeping dread of a thriller. Brown’s noir-style b&w illustrations make the most of the premise, and the innate absurdity of being afraid of one’s undergarments will be a surefire winner with many kids. Ages 4–8. [em]Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Aug.) [/em]