The Animal Undie Ball product reviews

There is something very special about picking up a book and having a deja vu moment as you recall seeing it once before. The children's mother was trying to remember why it appeared to be familiar, then suddenly realised that one of her own siblings had also enjoyed reading it when she was a child. This is actually a new edition of the original story which was published two decades ago!

The children enjoyed it just as much as their aunt had done. From the first moment that they picked up the book to see it fall open at a page with all the animals queued up in their underwear, they were in fits of giggles. Underwear is one of those topics that young children find hilarious, and despite the 20 year gap since its first edition was released, the humour is just as engaging. They could not wait to read the whole story and discover why the animals were dressed like that.

As they got into the story properly, the children's attitude slowly changed. At the start they were still giggling at the idea of going to a party where everyone else could see your underwear. But then they started worrying about those poor animals whose body shape did not conform to the expected parameters. What do you do if you are too big to fit into conventional undies like Elephant or have no legs like Snake? Should these creatures be excluded because they are different? What about Spider with eight legs or Hen with eggs that might never get laid?

Mr Five thought it might be possible to use a sewing machine to construct an outsize pair of undies for Elephant, even though it might require a huge amount of fabric. Miss Seven wondered if a special pair of undies for Chicken could feature a built-in pocket to catch her eggs. Both children were concerned about Spider - Miss Seven thought the spider pants should have eight openings to accommodate all the legs while Mr Five insisted that the front legs were more like arms so only the back six should be considered. As for Snake, Lion had already suggested that he wear a sock. But who would want to go to an undie ball dressed in a sock? How embarrassing!

The children had no problem following the story. The text consists mainly of rhyming couplets which correspond to the illustrations. A key point that the children loved is the use of many different words for undies. This added to the humour as they repeated each new word and then shrieked with laughter.

The underlying message of ensuring that everyone is included is beautifully integrated within the story. It provides yet another example of the way lessons can be presented to young children in a subtle manner, using familiar situations and strong storylines. Nobody is exactly the same as anyone else, but sometimes the differences are marked enough to require intervention so they can be included. Children with a physical defect are especially vulnerable; their peers learn at an early age to modify their environment so they can be part of a group.