Underwear!

by Mary Elise Monsell, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

Overview

Bismark the Buffalo is grumpy and unlovable until his friends teach him how to laugh and show him that wearing colorful underwear can be great fun.

Zachary Zebra and Orfo Orangutan love underwear—all colors, prints, and styles! Every year they go together to the World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair. But Bismark Buffalo is always sad and grumpy. Of course, he does not like underwear. The grassland animals feel sorry for Bismark. But then they get an idea—an idea about underwear and an idea about Bismark.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807583098
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	01/01/1988
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	101,735
Product dimensions:	8.75(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.10(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mary Elise Monsell is the author of eight books for children, including Underwear! which has been in print for more than twenty years. She teaches gifted students in Illinois.

Lynn Munsinger has illustrated more than fifty picture books including Monster Goes to School and Underwear! She divides her time between Massachusetts and Vermont.

Read an Excerpt

Underwear!

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By Mary Elise Monsell

ALBERT WHITMAN & Company

Copyright © 2015 Mary Elise Monsell
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8075-8309-8

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CHAPTER 1

Zachary Zebra did not like buttons or snaps or sleeves or slippers or zillions of zippers. But he did like ... undewear.

He liked all kinds of underwear in all colors and prints and styles. His best friend, Orfo the Orangutan, loved underwear, too.

Every year Orfo took a barge from Borneo to see Zachary. Together they went to the World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair.

Each time Zachary and Orfo bought as much underwear as they possibly could.

They bought orange-spotted underwear and underwear with palm trees and bananas.

They bought zebra-striped under- wear, leopard-spotted underwear, and underwear with fish and monkeys and kangaroos and elephants and colorful grassland flowers.

Zachary wore underwear with underwear on it.

Orfo wore underwear with people on it.

Sometimes they wore their underwear all at once.

Not everyone thought underwear was fun. Bismark the Buffalo refused to like underwear. He was not a very happy buffalo. Bismark didn't smile or laugh or tell silly jokes.

And he certainly did not want to wear underwear, anywhere.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Underwear! by Mary Elise Monsell. Copyright © 2015 Mary Elise Monsell. Excerpted by permission of ALBERT WHITMAN & Company.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

"Just a'struttin' and a'prancin' and bedecked to beat the band in heart-spattered drawers comes Bismark the Buffalo—but only after a remarkable metamorphosis…Munsinger's zany pen-and-ink perky-colored illustrations are a perfect foil for the text…A great read-aloud choice."—Booklist

"Her animals are full of frolic-some fun, and the variety of underwear is appropriately zany. Children will be unable to resist Zachary and Orfo as they cavort in the trees with underwear donned as hats and numerous pairs trailing from their limbs. Sheer frivolous fun."—School Library Journal

"An idea with a built-in kid-appeal: tell a story about underwear and bring in an artist to add lots of funny touches to each pair of boxer shorts…more fun is the part when grassland animals Orfo the Orangutan and Zachary the Zebra attend the 'World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair' and stock up on their favorite styles. And best of all are Munsinger's pictures of them wearing all those bright and witty styles at once."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

An idea with built-in kid-appeal: tell a story about underwear and bring in an artist to add lots of funny touches to each pair of boxer shorts. But one section of the story is a rather contrived morsel about friends who make a grumpy buffalo laugh by making him say aloud the word ``underwear.'' Much more fun is the part when grassland animals Orfo the Orangutan and Zachary the Zebra attend the ``World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair'' and stock up on their favorite styles. And best of all are Munsinger's pictures of them wearing all those bright and witty styles at once. Ages 3-7. (January)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 2 Nothing is as sure to elicit giggles in the primary grades as the mention of underwear, and this book relies heavily on that premise. The sto ry is slight. Zachary Zebra and his best friend, Orfo the Orangutan, love un derwear, and each year the two friends visit the World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair. Their fun is damp ened only by grumpy Bismark the Buf falo, who is such a grouch that even the parasitic bugs on his body desert him. He is not amused by underwear until he is challenged to repeat the word ten times without laughing. Of course, after a few repetitions, he be gins to chortle and children, like Bis mark, will be overcome with laughter by the final shout of ``underwear.'' What could have been an unbelievable moralistic tale (could one's whole disposition really change with a few repetitions of a silly word?) is saved by Munsinger's delightful illustrations. Her animals are full of frolicsome fun, and the variety of underwear is appropriately zany. Children will be unable to resist Zachary and Orfo as they cavort in the trees with underwear donned as hats and numerous pairs trailing from their limbs. Sheer frivolous fun. Lori A. Janick, Parkwood Elementary School, Pasadena, Tex.

School Library Journal