The Bare Facts: Those Are Not My Underpants! by Melissa Martin

One morning when Bear Cub comes outside, he notices something unexpected hanging on a limb right out his door. Clearly someone had misplaced a pair of underwear. Bear Cub has simply got to get to the bottom of this!

"HI, SQUIRREL," HE SAYS. "ARE THESE YOUR UNDERPANTS?"

"NO. THERE'S NO HOLE FOR MY TAIL!" SQUEEKS SQUIRREL.

Turtle's no tattletale. He shows off the striped undershorts under his shell. Oh, well. Bear Cub moves on until he meets Owl, who says owls only wear sparkly briefs. Beside a rushing stream, he questions Salmon, who says he only wears sleek swim trunks.

In his cave, Bat, already hanging upside down from the ceiling, shows off his glow-in-the-dark bikini bottoms. Skunk sniffs the scanty panties and ventures that they don't stink enough to be his!

Then Bear Cub spots snake's head sticking out of his hole.

"HI, SNAKE! ARE THESE YOUR UNDERPANTS?

"NO!"

"ARE YOU SURE?"

"YES. SNAKES ONLY WEAR L-O-O-O-N-G UNDERWEAR!"

They are not Beaver's briefs either. He blushes and says that beavers are too shy to show off their underpants. And when questioned, Moose points out that he has to wear Extra Large underwear!

Bear Cub's case is about out of suspects. Back home, Mama Bear spots him with the mysterious tightie whities in hand.

"BEAR CUB! WHY ARE YOU CARRYING YOUR UNDERPANTS AROUND? I WASHED AND HUNG THEM OUT TO DRY LAST NIGHT!"

Looking down, now it's Bear Cub's turn to blush!

The case of the bare bear is solved, in Melissa Martin's newest, Those Are Not My Underpants! For the reading circle bunch, any mention of unmentionables, be they briefs or lingerie, is a sure-fire giggle getter, and with the award-winning artist Troy Cummings' lighthearted illustrations, this story promises a laugh a minute.

Says Booklist, "A solid contribution to that important children’s book category, adorable animals wearing underwear!"

Surprise Bundle of Joy! It's A Moose! by Meg Rosoff

The nursery was all ready for the new little bundle of joy, with crib and mobile, a rocking horse, teddy bear, rack-a-stack, and cute onesie pajamas and little blue suspender suits.

WE WERE EXPECTING THE USUAL SORT OF BABY, SO IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE!


HE HAD FOUR PERFECT HOOVES INSTEAD OF FEET.

When she's taken to see the new arrival at the hospital nursery, the little girl carries a balloon that says "IT'S A MOOSE."

And a baby moose in a diaper is darling. She falls in love with the new family member.

I FELT SORRY FOR THE OTHER BABIES.

THEY ALL LOOKED THE SAME!

Grandma observes that he has the same nose as her Great-Aunt Lydia!

But there are some unusual problems. When they take the baby out in his buggy, people tend to point and stare. He outgrows his baby clothes in no time, and before long they have to get a bigger car with a sun roof to accommodate his long neck and antlers when they go to the drive-through. He doesn't fit the furniture in the house, and from the dormer window upstairs, he begins to sing sad songs nightly under the moon.

So the family packs the car with provisions and heads north... way up NORTH... to the NORTH WOODS actually, where the moose soon finds another moose to play with. He sings a happy song.

AT LAST IT WAS TIME TO SAY GOODBYE.

And soon the family gets a post card from Moosie....

Dear Mom and Dad + Sis,
Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here.
XXX

Meg Rosoff's It's a Moose! (Putnam, 2020) is a book that grownups won't be able to wait to read aloud and kid will want to read over and over! It's fanciful and funny and sweet, and filled with charming illustrations by artist David Ercolini. Ercolini's carefully-drawn, double-page spreads of the hospital nursery, the baby's room at home, and Moosie's birthday party--with the moose antler ring-toss and Pin the Tail on the Moose game and the young guests in antlered party hats--will keep young readers giggling at each comic detail with each page turn. This one is a real winner for the primary set, a joy for all. Says Publishers Weekly, "Rosoff begins with a goofy what-if . . . but deepens their story into something much more: one about how loving families stick together, embrace radical acceptance, and know when to let go."

Show Me the Baby! The Book of Babies by Il Sung Na

WHEN THE WORLD STARTS TURNING GREEN,

ANIMALS EVERYWHERE ARE BORN.


Mama Duck is excited to see her own babies hatching, but she knows that they are not the only new ones being born.

So Father Duck flies off to report on who's new.

It seems babies are everywhere.

Papa swims beneath the water and finds that fish have too many babies to count or care for: Mama has to get them into their school right away.

On the other hand, a mother monkey has only one baby, and she has to carry him around in her arms or clinging to her body for a while. Baby zebras, however, stand up after only a minute of getting their land legs, and know how to follow their mothers everywhere.

OTHERS NEED A LITTLE HELP!

Baby kittens can't even open their eyes at first and take a few weeks to learn to get their legs working. Some as different as sea horse babies and little kangaroos hang out in their father's or mother's pouches for quite a while before they venture out into the big world outside. Some, like bear cubs, are born with a fluffy, warm coat to keep them warm during the first cool days of spring, and some have slippery skin or scales to help them slide over the ground or slip through the warming waters.

But after their first days in the world, all babies need to rest, and that's just what Father Duck finds his ducklings doing back in their nest, in Il Sung Ya's sweet essay on all kinds of babies, A Book of Babies (Alfred A. Knopf, 2013). The author offers a variety of babies, shown in his lovely textured and layered multimedia illustrations, giving toddler humans a view of the wide world of young ones, and as most such books do, his text brings it home to a cozy bedtime, with a subtle suggestion that babies everywhere need their sleep. Kirkus Reviews gives Na's latest a starred review, concluding that "Undulating rainbow colors, circular patterns and fibrous textures swirl across leaves, animal bodies and sky, creating a lively natural world. Here's evidence that digital tinkering can yield richly layered, cohesive artwork that captures the kaleidoscopic beauty of the animal kingdom, its shadows, lights, colors, textures and shapes."

Other best-selling books for tots by Il Sung Na include A Book of Sleep and the seasonal Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit: A Book of Changing Seasons.