Something's Wrong!

January 25, 2021
Jeff, an absentminded bear, has left his house forgetting that he’s wearing a pair of tighty-whities gifted to him by his grandmother. He senses that something isn’t right (“Just be cool, man. Play it cool”), a sneaking suspicion that’s confirmed by the shocked looks of his fellow forest animals. But no one will speak up—to Jeff, that is. The animals have no qualms turning to the reader and exclaiming, “Why is that bear wearing underwear?” It’s a classic nightmare scenario, one that happily turns into a tribute to friendship when the still-clueless Jeff seeks out best buddy Anders, a rabbit, who lays it all out (“Could it be that you left your house wearing underwear?”) and then deftly helps him recover from his mortification. Jeff’s increasingly desperate attempts at nonchalance (“I love nice weather. LOVE it. It’s cool to be warm. Ha ha”) and Anders’s confiding reassurances and quick thinking make all-dialogue text by John (It’s Not My Fault!) a gift for the readaloud set. He’s capably abetted by debut illustrator Kraan, whose textural earth-toned vignettes are gems of comic panic, dismay, and redemption. Ages 3–6. Illustrator’s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Agency.

Starred review from January 15, 2021
A chatty bear causes a stir in the forest by leaving the house in an embarrassing pair of white underwear. When Jeff the bear runs down a checklist of things to do before leaving the cottage in the morning, one big item is forgotten: taking off the tighty whities that Grandma sent. As Jeff encounters pal after pal (none of whom wear underwear, nor indeed any human clothing), the bear has a sense that something is very wrong. But what could it be? Finally, after many animals break the fourth wall to ask readers, "Why is that bear wearing underwear?" Jeff goes to a rabbit friend named Anders who explains. And while there's a huge moment of awkwardness when all the animals show up, Anders and Jeff are able to seize the moment. The underpinnings of this charming picture book are already strong (underwear is inherently funny), and the babbling small talk Jeff engages in while trying to figure out what's wrong adds a lot to the increasingly silly situation ("Am I right or am I right? I think I'm right"). John's text perfectly pitches the jokes to a strong conclusion at just the right pace while Kraan's energetic illustrations, with hardly a straight line in the entire book, add to the sense of ultimately harmless cringe. The book is also a clever primer on handling embarrassment and how it can sometimes be dealt with by simply changing the perspective of what's happening. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) This underwear affair is wise, witty, and just brief enough. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from April 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 3-The dreaded "I'm out in public only wearing my underwear!" dream comes true for a bear one day and he just doesn't realize why all the other animals in the forest are giving him such strange looks. What sets this gag into a much higher realm of storytelling is the lesson in friendship readers are given when the bear's friend Anders struggles openly with his reaction and then comes to boldly support his friend. Using woodcut prints and digital techniques, Kraan depicts the characters as charming in their puzzlement and hilarious in their underwear. This a wonderful example of illustration adding further to a very funny text. VERDICT Expect hilarity to ensue wherever underwear stories are a hit with the add-on bonus of this being a great title for discussions on the topic of allyship.-John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 20, 2021
Grades K-3 Jeff the Bear is walking through the forest like normal, but he knows something is wrong; he can feel it. As he interacts with woodland creatures, overcompensating with excessive casualness;to combat his mounting panic that something--but what?--is wrong, the animals each turn and ask the reader, "Why is that Bear wearing underwear?" It takes an honest conversation with his best friend, a hare named Anders, to finally let Jeff know the truth and to redirect the gaze of the whole forest, proving that good friends are as reliable and supportive as a good pair of undies. Don't let the giddy goofiness of an underwear-driven plot fool you; this is as whip-smart and linguistically sophisticated as the rest of John's terrific body of work. The ongoing joke of breaking the fourth wall of the book is clever, interactive, and well executed, culminating in a wonderful two-page wordless spread that captures the mounting tension of the moment. The story is strongly supported by Kraan's richly textured and slightly off-kilter collection of creatures, featuring the most adorably rounded tighty-whitey-clad bear buns you've ever seen.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2021
Jeff the bear leaves his house with the nagging feeling that he's forgotten something. When he encounters a deer and frog at a stream, their shocked expressions lead him to make some awkward small talk before proceeding on. At this point, the deer is the first (of many) to break the fourth wall and ask readers, "Why is that bear wearing underwear?" After similar encounters with several more animals, Jeff hurries to see his "trusted friend" Anders the hare, who is finally honest with him. Embarrassment ensues once Jeff realizes he's still wearing his gift from his grandma, especially when the forest animals reappear to stare at Jeff in a series of wordless spreads. While Anders may not think it necessary for his friend to wear undies ("You're covered in fur from head to toe, man!"), he lends support by wearing them, too ("This is the new THING, people! The new STYLE!"). The two trendsetters in John's tale of friendship ("Good friends are like good underwear") and acceptance ("You're just fine as you are") are endearing: Jeff with all his nervous rambling that primes this story for read-alouds and Anders with his personality-rich comments ("Oh boy. Should I tell him?...Why am I even asking you? Who are you?"). The text's repetition and direct address will appeal to preschoolers, as will the humorous images of Jeff (and eventually the other animals) in snug tighty-whities. Kraan's textured illustrations in earthy greens and browns accentuate the natural setting and, along with the animals' expressive body language, help reinforce the delightful silliness of the situation. Cynthia K. Ritter

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2021
Jeff the bear leaves his house with the nagging feeling that he's forgotten something. When he encounters a deer and frog at a stream, their shocked expressions lead him to make some awkward small talk before proceeding on. At this point, the deer is the first (of many) to break the fourth wall and ask readers, "Why is that bear wearing underwear?" After similar encounters with several more animals, Jeff hurries to see his "trusted friend" Anders the hare, who is finally honest with him. Embarrassment ensues once Jeff realizes he's still wearing his gift from his grandma, especially when the forest animals reappear to stare at Jeff in a series of wordless spreads. While Anders may not think it necessary for his friend to wear undies ("You're covered in fur from head to toe, man!"), he lends support by wearing them, too ("This is the new THING, people! The new STYLE!"). The two trendsetters in John's tale of friendship ("Good friends are like good underwear") and acceptance ("You're just fine as you are") are endearing: Jeff with all his nervous rambling that primes this story for read-alouds and Anders with his personality-rich comments ("Oh boy. Should I tell him?...Why am I even asking you? Who are you?"). The text's repetition and direct address will appeal to preschoolers, as will the humorous images of Jeff (and eventually the other animals) in snug tighty-whities. Kraan's textured illustrations in earthy greens and browns accentuate the natural setting and, along with the animals' expressive body language, help reinforce the delightful silliness of the situation.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)