CREEPY UNDERWEAR: SO CREEPY! SO COMFY!

It’s been a superb year for picture book sequels, and I would be absolutely remiss if I didn’t highlight Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown’s latest collaboration: a long-awaited follow up to the amazing Creepy Carrots! For those unfamiliar with the original (please rectify this situation ASAP), the spooky story centers around young Jasper Rabbit, who, after enjoying one too many tasty carrots from a nearby field, suddenly finds himself relentlessly and creepily pursued by the vegetables in question. Noir-styled black and white illustrations enhance the spook factor, while the premise (creepy... carrots, um really?) and text lend an air of ridiculousness to the whole affair. This book makes a fantastic read-aloud for grades 2-5, and was such a hit with Children’s Room staff, that we even dressed up as the titular characters one Halloween.

The sequel, Creepy Pair of Underwear!, shares the same combination of spooky + ridiculousness, as Jasper Rabbit, now a “big rabbit,” goes underwear shopping with his mother. Yielding to Jasper’s cajoling, mom agrees to purchase one pair of Creepy Underwear for him in addition to his standard Plain White. Unbeknownst to the no-longer-a-little-bunny, however, properties of the the new Creepy Underwear include: glowing a ghoulish green, alarmingly replacing other underpants on his body despite deliberate removal, and eerily reappearing everywhere after being thrown out and snipped into pieces. Will Jasper Rabbit ever succeed in ridding himself of unwanted Creepy Underwear?

Share Creepy Pair of Underwear! with one and all--you can be sure this children’s librarian will!

Grades 2+