'Tis The Season for Freezin': The Wolf in Underpants Freezes His Buns Off by Wilfrid Lupano

HIGH ABOVE THE FOREST LIVES THE WOLF. . . WITH CRAZY EYES!

IN THESE WOODS WE KNOW TO MOVE OUR BUTTS WHEN THE WOLF COMES DOWN TO EAT!

In the safety of the clearing, the newsboy cries his wares to warn the citizens.

"EXTRA! EXTRA! GET YOUR FOREST GAZETTE HERE!

THREE MORE WOLF ATTACKS REPORTED!"

From kiosks in the clearing, Wolf alarms and wolf-proof fences are advertised, and wolf traps are sold. Kids practice their anti-wolf karate, and the Anti-Wolf militia patrol the perimenter in full battle dress. Savvy vendors hawk hazelnut products as the edible antidote to wolf anxiety. Everyone is on the lookout for a wolf with tell-tale signs:

"HIS TEETH ARE LIKE ICE PICKS. HIS EYES ARE WILD!"

And then a rabbit runs screaming through the clearing, reporting the approach of said Wolf, except...

This one is wearing red-and-white striped underpants!

It's hard to take a big bad wolf seriously when he's wearing red-striped whitey-tighties. And Mrs. Owl informs the public that she herself knitted those underpants herself to insulate his backside from his icy-cold lookout rock high on the hill. Little Hedgehog says that this doofus can't be the wolf she's feared all her life!

THESE UNDERPANTS HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE!" INSISTS THE WOLF.

But It's hard to look friendly when your buns are frozen!

Humpff!

The crowd begins to disperse. It's hard to stay in a fearful frenzy when the big bad wolf is wearing silly knickers, in Wilfried Lupano's, The Wolf in Underpants Freezes His Buns Off (Graphic Universe, 2020). This second installment in this series continues to poke fun at underpants, with an easy-going lesson on remaining rational in the face of a baseless community hysteria. Lulpano's story owes much to the clever illustrations of Mayana Itiz and Paul Cauuet's humorously sinister main character who turns out to be a nice guy who's ridiculously proud of his snuggy underpants. Kirkus Reviews says "Lupano's message of kindness and perception shines without being cloying, making this quiet charmer a must-read." Share this one with its first in series, The Wolf in Underpants.

Odd Cat Couple! It's Me! (Catwad) by Jim Benton

Catwad looks like a cranky cat.

He may not really be cranky, but we'll never know--as long as he's stuck with his dumb companion Blurmp. Not just the usual slowcoach, your everyday dense and dumb dolt, mind you. Blurmp is a boneheaded blockhead. But Blurmp has his good qualities, too.

Here's a sample:

"I'M A CRIMEFIGHTING HERO NOW!" SAYS BLURMP.

"OKAY," CHALLENGES CATWAD. "LET'S HEAR YOUR ORIGIN STORY!"

Blurmp tells Catwad that he considered being one of those inscrutable-heroes-with-a-past, those Angry Heroes of the Night. But he has to go to bed too early for that.

He considered being the type of hero who gets his super powers from the bite of an irradiated insect, but he worries that the bug might have spent too much time in proximity to dog poo.

He was tempted to be one of those heroes who grows huge and powerful whenever he's in a bad temper.

"BUT GETTING BIG AND STRONG WOULD MAKE ME SO HAPPY THAT I WOULD JUST SHRINK AGAIN!" SAID BLURMP.

So Catwad questions Blurmp about the scope of his superhero powers.

"WELL," SAID BLURMP, "WHENEVER I SEE A CRIMINAL GETTING READY TO STEAL SOMETHING... I JUST GO AHEAD AND BUY IT FOR HIM!

THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT CRIME IS TO MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS!"
Catwad has no comeback to counter that kind of logic!

But finally Catwad comes up with a way to at least keep Blurmp quiet:

"HEY, CATWAD. LET'S PLAY TRUTH OR DARE!"

"OKAY," SAYS CATWAD. "TRUTH OR DARE?"

"DARE!"" SHOUTS BLURMP!

With a wicked grin, Catwad executes his clever plan.

"I DARE YOU TO STOP PLAYING AND NEVER BRING IT UP AGAIN," SAID CATWAD.

Blurmp sits silently, snickering to himself. Days and weeks and years pass....

"OH, MY GOSH, I'M WINNING." HE THINKS GLEEFULLY....

"I'M STILL WINNING...."

But thanks to Jim Benton, the New York Times best-selling cartoonist has plenty more graphic comic books like It's Me. (Catwad 1)(Scholastic Books, 2019), spoofing this star-crossed couple, with the crotchety Catwad and his quirky companion playing the perfect straight man and noodle-head character. This one offers perfect comic relief that will appeal to the fans of Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Captain Underpants and its sequels.