Maw Books

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I had to mention Bear in Underwear by Todd H. Doodler here on the blog because as many of you may remember we are thick in the middle of potty training around here (uh . . . for about a year actually).  With a three day weekend here and with no plans to go anywhere we decided to hit it full force again.  When I saw this book on the Cybil’s fiction picture book nomination list (for which I’m a panelist) I knew that it was one that I wanted to look at early on.

Sadly, as has been shown in my earlier posts about other potty training books, my sons love of potty training books does not necessarily translate to success on the potty.  I wish he had has much enthusiasm for the potty has he does reading his books.  I read Bear in Underwear three times back-to-back today with cries of “Again! Again!”  We would have kept going if I wasn’t sick and my voice gave out.  My husband also told me he read it a few times this morning as well.  I did notice my five-year-old pick up the book later and read the text to himself from memory (to clarify: he’s not the one in need of help, that would he his little brother).

In Bear in Underwear, Bear is playing with his forest friends when he finds a backpack full of underwear.  He tries on each pair looking for the perfect fit but they are either too big, too small, too loose, too silly, too girly, too dirty, or too itchy.  It isn’t until he tries on a pair of tighty whiteys that he finds the perfect fit.

What you can’t tell from the cover illustration is that the underwear on the cover is plush.  My boys thought that was hilarious. But their most favorite part of the story is seeing a back shot of Bear’s bum.  They would laugh and laugh over that one a good long while.  Overall, a good book for my boys.  I told my youngest later, “Hey, you’re wearing underwear just like Bear!” to which he responded proudly, “Yes, I am!”  A nice success until I found him in his bedroom slyly changing that wet underwear into a new dry pair.  Sigh . . . off to hunt for another puddle somewhere.

Links of interest: Todd H. Doodler is a pseudonym for Todd Goldman (no surprise there – as soon as I saw the last name Doodler for a children’s author, I figured it was too good to be true). More book blogger reviews.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher: Blue Apple Books. March 1, 2010
Hardcover, 40 pages. ISBN 1609050169
Source: Library copy.  A 2010 Cybil’s nomination for which I am a 1st round  panelist.
Bear in Underwear is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

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