Aliens in Underpants Save the World

Love Underpants

by Claire Freedman, Ben Cort (Illustrator)

Aliens love underpants,

It's lucky that they do,

For pants helped save our universe,

Sounds crazy, but it's true!

Aliens in underpants are back - and this time they are on a mission to save the world! A gigantic meteorite is heading for planet earth and the aliens' pants supply is under threat. Can our crazy aliens save planet earth and secure their pants supply forever more?

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Space, Aliens, Humor, Fiction, Storytime

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

I’ve been a writer for over 15 years now, but it wasn’t planned!

I had a variety of jobs, including secretary, trainee buyer at Harrods, dental nurse, production assistant in a reprographic and printing company and various others.

I began to write after joining a creative writing class. I had no success with article writing, or short stories, or fiction, but the first children’s story I wrote, for a magazine called Twinkle, was accepted for publication. Hooray!!!

Things snowballed and a lot (yes lots and lots) of hard work later I now write full time and have over 50 books published. I still go to the same writing class and we have become a big happy family of writers!

For me, writing is the best job ever. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I love to create worlds for young children to enjoy and escape into – whether the stories are educational, bedtime, problem solving or just plain good fun. It’s also very exciting to see the first picture roughs, as my wonderful, talented illustrators bring the text to life.

I live on the Essex coast in a lovely two-bed-roomed flat, which I share with my husband, Michael. At long last I have an office to write in, with room for all my books and bits of scribbled on papers.

The seafront is (still) just around the corner, and I find a bracing walk (it gets freezing when the East wind blows from the North Sea!) or gentle stroll when the weather is warmer, is great for clearing my head and mulling over story ideas.

- excerpted from her website

Reviews

[Sophia Triad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did not like the moral of this story, since it is not nice to steal other people's underpants - even if you only do it in order to save them.
I am sure if the aliens asked nicely, everyone would offer them their elastic underwear without any fuss hahaha
Anyway the illustrations are cute and my six years old son does not seem to share my concerns LOL

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A meteor is going to hit the Earth, and only aliens can save us. They do it to keep their underpants supply functioning.

Kids might like it if they are the right age.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute book! I read it to my son & loved the way it flowed to keep him interested. I loved the artwork the best... Especially the alien in the bloomers.

Even years later we are still reading this one. I believe we've read it half a dozen times in the last month.

[Ella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another fun story following on from Aliens Love Underpants. I think children would find this book funny and engaging. The book could be read alongside science lessons about space as a fun link. The book could bring up discussions about space and what meteors are. I would use this book in FS and KS1.

[Alastair Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Aliens in Underpants Save the World’ is primarily a picture book with a four line rhyme on each double page that narrates the story of a group of friendly aliens who save the world.
The first few pages introduce the aliens and their love of human underpants with wonderfully bright and expressive illustrations, as the aliens aim for earth on a ‘pants-pinching mission’. However, their mission is interrupted as they see a huge meteorite heading towards earth. Fearful for their future supply of underpants, the aliens race to earth to collect and stitch together as many underpants as possible, in order to repel the meteorite back to space. Meanwhile, on earth, the fire engines, helicopters, police and other emergency services are helpless to prevent the disaster.
The story ends in success for the aliens and humans alike as the huge underpant-constructed shield saves the day and sends the meteorite hurtling back into space.
It is a brilliantly silly and humorous story that engages children, primarily due to it’s size, as the book is quite large and the illustrations are drawn to cover each double page to the maximum. The rhyming dialogue also helps the story to flow and provokes excitement amongst the readers. There is also vocabulary relating to space with could be used in a lesson, for example universe, meteorite, spaceship, satellite and so on.
In summary 'Aliens in Underpants Save the World' is a fantastic book for children of a variety of ages, principally because of it's light-hearted story, illustrations and rhymes.

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book even more funny than 'Aliens love underpants' as I think its got a really interesting and fast-paced story line which will engage adults as well as children. I also think children will love this book, again finding it really funny, which is so important for reading for pleasure.

Like 'Aliens Love Underpants', this story could be used to discuss rhyme. There are also cross-curricular teaching links to science and space, and the emergency services.

I will definitely be reading this at the end of the day with a KS1 class!

[Fay Min · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very VERY VERYYY popular book amongst my students (pre-school to 3rd)! Let's be real, you can't go wrong with aliens, underpants, and ALIENS IN UNDERPANTS SAVING THE WORLD!

Love that it is sooo entertaining. But the illustrations are so cute too. My students absolutely love discovering and interacting with every little detail on the pages. It's also a great way to practice colors and shapes and even some vocab with the little ones!

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of the cutest books ever!

[Katie Beattie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was funny but it didn’t make you think very much. It would be loved by children but difficult to question them on if

[Sarah Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a zany, rhyming, adventure story of how aliens from outer space help us save our world, all in the name of underpants. The story begins to unfold in space. As the aliens are on route to Earth to steal some underpants, they see a meteorite heading for the planet and in fear of not getting any underpants forever more they muster a plan to save the earth using giant underpants.
This book is a hilarious read for any key stage one class. It’s really helpful for counting as there are loads of underpants on each page which we can count. It’s also quite useful in reception for identifying shapes and colours. It’s a good entry point for introducing children to the idea of space. The book has some difficult words which children would otherwise not attempt, meteorite, satellite, or scientists for example and as this book is packed with fun children attempt to read these.
The rhyming pattern in the story makes it a great read aloud book but can also lend itself to drama. Our year one class made their own aliens with underpants in art class and we used these aliens to re-enact the story. Children’s imaginations are stimulated by this story and the fantastic real life illustrations offer excellent opportunities for speaking and listening activities.
Overall a cheeky, hilarious story complemented by lively, exciting illustrations.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a few other books in this series, and when I needed a sci-fi book for a challenge I knew I had to go for a book from this series.

In this one the world is threatened by meteorite! Oh noes! The world goes in panic, but thankfully there are aliens.. though there reasons for saving the world are less than pure (they don't want their supply of underwear to run out). :P

I quite loved the idea that the aliens had. Plus it was hilarious (boing boing). They sacrificed quite a few of their underwear to save the world, that doesn't only take creativity, but also some of their precious wares.

The ending was also nice, indeed, we should be very thankful of the aliens. They did all that for us! They can steal a few of our underpants.

I did like the beginning/end pages before the story starts. They are filled with all sorts of underpants. From zebra to dots, from red to yellow.

The illustrations are pretty great, they are fun and fit the story to a t. But then again, I already knew that, that is one of the reasons why I keep reading the books in this series. :)

All in all, recommended if you want some silly, hilarious, alien adventures!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Holly Iman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, Aliens in Underpants Save the World, is in the science fiction genre and is intended for readers ages 5-8. The reading of the book was in E-book format. Aliens in Underpants Save the World is about aliens and how their underpants save the world. I gave the book a four star rating because the illustrations were drawn very creatively and colorful. The characters in the book are aliens and humans, which show different POV's. The use of language involves a rhyme scheme which makes the book fun to read. The book has a bit of silliness to it, which will make the young readers laugh. I believe the sense of humor in the book is a big factor in being appealing to children. Imaginary creature also seem to be amusing to young readers, so they will enjoy them being in the book. The theme is that hard work pays off, since the aliens worked hard to save the world. Aliens in Underpants Save the World would be a good book to read to a first grade class, and then using questions to ask at the end to evaluate the students' understanding of the story. The questions could be such as, "How did the aliens's underpants save the world?", or, "Have you ever worked very hard for something and it paid off?".

[Joana Matamoros · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Aliens in Underpants Save The World by Claire Freedman is categorized as science fiction. This book was given the Richard and Judy Prize for best-selling, however there were no awards givent to this book. The intended age group for this book is five to seven. This book was about aliens trying to save earth from an asteroid so that they could have more underpants to steal from the humans. I rated this book as five stars out of five because it stayed within the genre by including aliences, ateroids, scientists and spaceships. This book is great for this age group because it is funny, adventurous and engaging. The text was simple which balanced with the illustrations. The illustrations in this book stood out with the great amount of bright, fun colors to support the text in this story. Although, the theme can at time be confusing for the intended age group. The plot can be a bit unclear, however, the characters are easy to identify, being aliens and scientists. I would bring out this book to read for fun, just for a good laugh. I think whenever there is a book about underpants it is always engaging to young readers.

[Azra Hodzic · Rating 5 out of 5]

What kids don't get a kick out of talking about underpants? I read this to a group of preschoolers, and it is now their absolute favorite book. Soon as you open the book on the inside cover there is two pages of nothing but different types of underwear. The kids all like to point at which one will be their pair of underpants. We are usually stuck there for a few minutes, so everyone can pick the ones that they like and then we can finally move on and read the story. A hilarious story about aliens that love to wear underwear. They save Earth from a meteor by sewing together all the underpants that they found on earth and bouncing it back into outer space. It is a really silly story that can be read anytime. It can also be used to talk about space (meteor) and I even used it to talk about hygiene (we all have to wear underwear).

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aliens in Underpants Save the World is a fun, engaging book for young kids to read to spark their imagination and interest in space. The book uses the silliness of aliens in underpants to draw the children in to engage them in the reading. The illustrations are vibrant and appealing to young children also, which adds to the engagement part. I liked how the book was really silly and showed aliens in a friendly manner of helping the world in surviving a meteorite. Even though this book is silly and completely fiction, it would be a fun book to introduce a space unit with, since it includes some space terminology which would help students connect the terminology to its meaning. I also really enjoy how the book rhymes and makes it flow easily together to make it a fun, silly read aloud book that could be used in any classroom.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

On a subsequent instance where I'd finished my doctor's appointment earlier than my spouse and was looking for a way to pass the time that did not involve my cell phone, I happened upon Aliens in Underpants Save the World. What's not to love about a catchy title such as that? Also, if/when a pair of underoos next goes missing at our house, I will chalk it up to the underwear equivalent of a "spirit offering" of food. The story's message ends with: "So should you pants go missing/there's no need to make a fuss./Let the aliens have their fun./They've done SO much for us!" So true. In the case of this story, they saved Earth from a meteorite that was going to take the entire planet out. And yes, the solution involved underwear of all shapes, sizes, and designs. Written in rhyme with fun art, I'd rate this a 3 1/2-star read.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Aliens who wear underpants are racing to save the earth. Earth is their sole source of underwear so they want to head off the meteorite headed towards the blue planet. When they land they snatch up as many pairs of undies as they can, stealing from stories, taking laundry off of clotheslines even taking them out of drawers.

They stitch all of the underwear together to make one great big pair of underpants. When complete they stretch the huge undies out and are able to catch the giant meteorite that would have slammed into the earth.

Humorous and children will laugh, as they do at all underwear books. But it's not as funny as it could be.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give this book a 3 star rating.

This book is about how the aliens come and take all the undies on planet earth. This book is a spin off on Monster love underpants. This book tells the story of how the people on earth react too while the aliens come down.

Ways to use this in a classroom
1) Have students write what they would do if they had some something in the sky like a UFO
2) Talk to students about Aliens
3) Have a spinoff writing about Aliens coming for something else on Earth
4) Have students write about how they would react if someone stole their underpants

[Nadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The text is simple, the illustrations are cute and kids would probably enjoy it, however this is the last "love underpants" book I am actively planning on reading.
This book just like many of the others had a weird rhythm to the pages and it was hard to figure it out from page to page (as it seems like it would change).
It had a decent plot and this combined with the reasons from the first paragraph are why I am giving it an average rating of three, I just feel there are better picture books out there.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss 4 loves this series! We are working our way through them. She also remembers now that the books normally end with a little alien hiding and staying behind on Earth.

Miss 4 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My classroom has all of these underpants books! my kids love them, and no matter how many times I have read it, they still find it just as funny! although there is no take-home message, these books could easily have a lesson built around them, and I think they should have a fun place in every elementary classroom!

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The aliens are at it again! This time they're stealing underpants to help save Earth. Why? Because if Earth was gone, their supply of underpants would be gone as well! Hilarity.

Good for preschool and older kid storytimes.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the front cover! First pages are so colourful and clever, really wants to make you pick up the book and read it.
Great idea how simple things can solve big problems, which is a lovely concept gathered from this book.

[Ethel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a creative book. I can see this being a hit in a pre-k through 1st-grade classroom. It is very silly and the illustrations are very cute. The rhymes are sometimes off and do not flow too well but I don't think younger students will notice that all.

[Iqra Fiaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember seeing this book used in the school of my first placement and the enjoyment of the children in unforgettable. There a many cross-curricular links that will further engage the children with a story that most of them find incredibly funny.

[Abigail Feldt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good story- kids will love the talk of Underpants, I'm sure.
I wanted to know more about how the humans felt that suddenly all their underwear was gone!
The rhyming was quite cute- but on just a couple of pages the couplets didn't flow as well.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a huge meteorite threatens to crash into the Earth, and destroy it, the underpants loving aliens spring into action to save the planet, and their main source of underpants. The wacky rhyming tale of how Aliens in Underpants save humanity, and their source of underpants doesn't disappoint.

[Julia Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very creative story about aliens who save planet earth by using our underpants.

A very funny storyline which is easily digestible by the reader and sparks a lot of conversations

Beautifully illustrated with bold eye catching colours.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very, very colorful, and very silly! I loved the way this book moved right along. It's very fun.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fun read aloud for my Preschool friends. The first book was a bit nervous about the meteor. With the second group we talked about aliens being make believe and they loved the story.