Underwear + sharing? An odd combination? Not at all in Laura Gehl and Tom Lichtenheld’s new picture book, One Big Pair of Underwear (Beach Lane, ages 21/2-4). Not only that, but the new author (Gehl) and seasoned illustrator (Lichtenheld) blend numbers, world and picture play, rhythm, rhyme, timing and humor to show the hurt of a host of animals who feel left out. The underwearless bear covers its uncovered portions and cries “that isn’t fair,” a mad yak deprived of a backpack yelps, a left out hippo who finds no cookbook in a nook gives the other five grumpy looks.
Nearing the end of the book, pictures and words show the happier animals who learn to count and share “from one big pair of underwear!”
