Somethings Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear
By Jory John
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021
Picture Book, 40 pages, ages 3-7 years
Jeff feels just a little off. Something isn’t quite right and he can’t figure out why. He ate his breakfast and watered his plant, still something wasn’t as it should be. After walking through the forest and being greeted with odd looks from all the animals, he finds his friend Anders, and the hare points out that Jeff is wearing his underwear…..over his fur!
“Good friends are like good underwear Jeff. They are reliable and they’re supportive.”
Okay, animals + underpants? How can you go wrong? But this book is so much more than illustrations that make you laugh because the expressions on the animals faces are hilarious as they watch a round fluffy bear in his underwear walk through the forest! The text between Jeff (the bear) and Anders (the hare) is hilarious and, at the same time, thought provoking! “Good friends are like good underwear Jeff. They are reliable and they’re supportive.” What do his closest friends do to make Jeff feel okay about absentmindedly wearing a gift from his Granny on the outside of his fur? They all start a new fashion trend!
The artwork depicts the complete puzzlement of the characters and the hilariousness of them all wearing underwear that you just can’t help but laugh no matter what age you happen to be. But the lesson on being a friend and boldly supporting each other despite the fact you may be ridiculed or mocked isn’t lost on anybody young or old
Something’s Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John receives 5 stars from this reviewer.