Dragons Love Underpants by Claire Freedman

Once glance at today's read, and I'm pretty sure you know why I picked it up. Dragons are always worth a 2nd peek, and underwear...well, for kids, it's an eye-catcher. Mix the two together, and it could be a really fun read.

So, I'm going to sit back and see if these dragons are funny in all the right ways or not.

DRAGONS LOVE UNDERPANTS

by Claire Freedman

Illustrated by Ben Cort

Aladdin

Picture Book

32 pages

ages 4 to 8

COMING AUGUST 5th!!!

Dragons steal underpants from the citizens of the kingdom in this hilarious installment in the Underpants picture book series.

Huge scaly dragons roamed the land
in long gone days of olde.
They loved to wear big underpants
in colors bright and bold.

With flaming holes in their undies, a pack of underwear-loving dragons embark on a knicker-nicking adventure through the Kingdom of Pantasia!

GOODREADS    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

Dragons' love for underpants will have listeners giggling, while just enough adventure hits to make them wonder what will happen next.

This one starts with exactly what one might expect—dragons in underpants. After all, according to these pages, dragons have always loved underpants. Bright, beautiful, and bold ones. However, fabric might not be the best thing for a dragon, especially when they breathe fire. Luckily, for the dragons, a nearby town harbors citizens who love their underpants almost as much as the dragons do. The dragons' plan to solve their problem might not be the best way to handle things, though.

When I picked this one up, I wasn't aware that it's one in an entire collection of underpants reads: aliens, dinos, Santa Claus, and more make it an interesting group to choose from. But dragon fans will probably argue that this is the one to pick up. The dragons are well-created with an entertaining balance between cute and a hint of dangerous. Not much, but enough to add a tiny bit of zest. While the tale, obviously, centers around underpants, it packs more to make it a rounded adventure. There's an attack (very gentle), a kidnapping, and a perky, clever princess. While there is a slight sense of danger, it's heavily coated with humor and quirky moments to make this a fun read. 

The rhyming text flows very well and adds spice as the illustrations take it from there. The characters and scenes are bright and bold with details to lure listeners back to explore the illustrations on their own. Little moments of humor are worked in, carrying subtle and also obvious silliness. All of this makes it a lovely read-aloud for groups or individual settings. 

If messaging is preferred, this book isn't really it. There is bravery on the princess' end, and a compromise is reached (although the dragons were still naughty). But if a smile and laughter is desired, this is a read to pick up and enjoy.

And here they are...

Claire Freedman is the author of several picture books, including Pirates Love Underpants!; Dinosaurs Love Underpants!; Aliens Love Underpants!; Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones; One Magical Day; A Magical Christmas; Dilly Duckling, and My Grandparents Love Me. She lives in Essex, England.

Ben Cort is an award-winning illustrator whose books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold millions of copies around the world. He illustrated the phenomenally popular Underpants series written by Claire Freedman, which has inspired a BAFTA-nominated animation and a theater show. Another of Ben and Claire’s picture books, Monstersaurus, was also turned into a successful stage show which toured the UK. As a lifelong Beatles fan, Ben was thrilled to be commissioned to illustrate Ringo Starr’s Octopus’s Garden as a children’s picture book. Visit him online at BenCort.com.