So begins the dialogue between a tired bear dad and a rambunctious bear cub who would rather play with his tighty whities than get into bed. Underwear makes great hair. It can even turn one into a superber, or a goggle-wearing swimming bear. But beware of a big scare! Rhymes, homonyms, and conjunctions abound in this book that could be used to teach reading, but its primary purpose is to make bedtime fun.
A worn out father bear tries to get his little bear into underwear after his bath, but it’s not going to be easy! Told entirely in a rhyming dialogue between the two characters, the story is rollicking and lot of fun to read aloud. Using homonyms for plenty of humor, the little bear asks “Under where?” and then heads into a rhyming series of lines about where the underwear might actually be. When the underwear is finally located, the fun isn’t over as the little bear immediately puts it on his head as hair and also pretends to be superbear! A new change of underwear is necessary after all this fun and then a bedtime story. But even lights out can’t stop the puns.
Full of lots of laughs, particularly for preschool audiences, this picture book seems simple on the surface. Harney though has taken a single rhyme and used it throughout the entire book, weaving in puns and fun along the way. Her rhythms are dead on, her characters speak as individuals, all within a strict rhyming format. Harney’s art is bold and big on the page, making it a great story to share aloud. The expressions on both bears’ faces are funny and often priceless.
A great bedtime romp, this will also make a great closer to any story time. Appropriate for ages 2-4.
My kids love this and the illustrations are hilarious. Perfect for lovers of the Underwear song by Randall Goodgame of Slugs and Bugs 😂 I did an edit for "heck" though.
I love this book, I laugh and smile every time I read it. I can’t wait to read it to the preschoolers I work with as it’s a fun way to work on and introduce positional phrases and rhymes.
Such a great book to start reading for youngsters. It is relatable. It is funny! It has a lot of exclamation marks! And when read with a lively little boy --- it is all the more fun!
The illustrations perfectly capture the interactions between this dad and son. The text falls a little flat for me. 2025 - I wanted to give this another chance but it still falls flat in humor for me.
Although Harney has illustrated many other books, this is her first picture book as an author. The topic will be a hit with any audience but the play on words and rhyming throughout the book could even make it fun for an audience beyond the picture book crowd. It could be used for a rhyming lesson because of its few words. Little bear is walking around in the bathroom ready to leave in his bare bottom when papa bear comes in with a booming voice, the font is very large and has lots of exclamation points, proclaiming the little bear needs to wear his underwear. Little bear deliberately changes the meaning of underwear to “under where?” not knowing where to look. Papa bear repeats and of course the pair is on a chair. The rhyming sound is repeated but does not get old and the illustrations although it barely leaves the bathroom scene, are colorful and action packed. Who knew a 32 page book could be talking about a pair of underwear with so much flair. A great read aloud that will not only have your younger audience in stitches, it will get some laughs from adults too. Oral AD+ Kindergarten through 3rd grade
The title and cover had me sold! Seriously! I can't resist undie humor; blame it on the kid in me I suppose. I mean come on, the title is Underwear! and the endpapers are a pair of tighty-whities! It's bathtime and Bear is getting ready for bed. He emerges from the tub, presumably squeaky clean, but forgets one really important thing - Underwear! Yes, the bear is at first bare but soon dons his skivvies in all manner of fashionably outlandish ways. How will his dad ever get him to bed, this silly little bear with undies on his head? Go ahead, open the pages of Underwear! and find out!
Jenn Harney has illustrated several other books that were penned by other authors. Under! represents her debut as an author-illustrator. Her cover art captured my immediate attention with the perplexed papa and the naughty, bare bear. I saw it at my library and couldn't leave it there. This will do well in my K-5 library. There are countless underwear books but I would say that if your students enjoyed Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds, then they will probably enjoy this one too.
Clever rhymes punctuate this silly story about a little bear who doesn't want to put his underwear on after his bath. He finds every excuse to not wear it, it's torn, he can't find it, he doesn't know where it goes. The big bear is getting pretty frustrated trying to get little bear to bed.
Jenn Harney's illustrations are priceless. I'm still chuckling about the different ways he wears the underwear on his head - did you know briefs make a great superhero mask?
An all-too-real depiction of the clothing struggle in my own house, this is one of those stories I'd be reluctant to read to my own children for fear it would give them "ideas." Yes, it's hilarious. Yes, the illustrations are delightful, but that bear's expression when he's wearing the underwear as a little black dress is all-too-familiar. Basically, this embodies both the maddening and the charming elements of parenthood.
Add this book to Fly! for the beginnings of a solidarity storytime for parents.
This is a laugh-out-loud story time book that will have your audience rolling on the floor. All the elements come together perfectly. The fun, humor filled illustrations showing all the things a mischievous and adorable young bear can do with a pair of underwear and his long-suffering Papa Bear combined with homophones and incredible rhyming. Misunderstandings abound that felt like Abbot and Costello's classic "Who's on First" sketch. From the moment the reader meets the young "Bare bear" and dad urging him to put on his underwear your audience will be hooked. I'm adding this to my getting dressed, bath time and Father's Day story times. Guaranteed to delight any audience.
I've used this a few times for storytimes, and overall the children love that I'm reading a story about a bear playing with underwear just as much as they like the actual story. There are a few places they don't really understand, such as when the Papa bear says 'don't make me glare'. The illustrations are better for a lap book since they are too small to be seen by a large group. And you have to be able to read this with a baby bear voice, and a papa bear voice otherwise the kids won't understand-it is written completely in dialog.
Underwear! by Jenn Harney is so much fun and guaranteed to elicit laughter from kids! We picked this book up last year and my kids absolutely love it every time we read it. My son even took it to school for his kindergarten teacher to read to the class. Who doesn't love a bare bear who refuses to put on his underwear after his bath! Filled with hilarious illustrations and plays on words, Underwear! is one your kids will keep requesting and you won't mind reading for the hundredth time!
This is a very fun book that the children will love to hear or read on their own. The children will laugh a lot as each page is turned. The book has a lot of rhyming words that will help encourage early readers to try and read the book. The book also shows kids that different words can sound the same but have different spelling. The art in the book can be very relatable to the kids and the adults reading it.
Oh, the mom in me needed this book so very much today. A rhyming, homonym, picture book dialogue romp through the relationship between a bare bear who wants to do basically everything in the bathroom except wear underwear and his long-suffering parent who just wants to get the kid in bed. Sheer delight.
Oh, my goodness. Jenn Harney found every word that rhymes with wear/where and uses it in this fun picture book. Children will adore the pictures that show some rather creative ways to "wear" underwear. Maybe it's just me but there should be a companion book for girls. I just don't know what we would call it.
This was hilarious! Simple, spare, rhyming text tells of a young bear whose dad tells him he needs to wear underwear after a bath. He does great antics with the underwear. Highly recommended for pretty much anyone, but especially those for whom the potty training days are in recent memory or imminent.
After this bear cub finishes his bath he has no desire to get dressed. His dad insists that he put on some underwear and what follows is the NEVERENDING SAGA of bear cub vs the tighty-whities. The illustrations are pretty hilarious, but the rhyming text doesn't add anything to the story (and often detracts). Imaginative, but annoying.
This book is an absolute riot! From the impish baby bear to the exasperated Papa Bear, Underwear will have you rolling! Jenn Harney does a stupendous job on the expressions and all of her writing and illustration is just pure fun! Underwear is a laugh out loud read along about the spirit of imagination and fun. I would highly recommend this book to kids and adults.
Who would have expected that a book on "Underwear!" would be witty and loaded with plays on words?
Well done, Jenn Harney. I can see how this book would give the giggles to kids who are still trying to make their peace with potty training and how every grownup poops.
Perfect reading now to prepare for "Captain Underpants" books later!
This story is perfect to get little gigglers going!! Little Bear only knows to assimilate the word underwear with “under where”!! He then thinks it’s hysterical to come up with a variety of interpretations as to ways underwear can be used. With the best of illustrations Jen Harney has put together another fun read for both young and old.