Helpful Score: 1
Kindergarten-Grade 2 Nothing is as sure to elicit giggles in the primary grades as the mention of underwear, and this book relies heavily on that premise. The sto ry is slight. Zachary Zebra and his best friend, Orfo the Orangutan, love un derwear, and each year the two friends visit the World's Greatest Grassland Underwear Fair. Their fun is damp ened only by grumpy Bismark the Buf falo, who is such a grouch that even the parasitic bugs on his body desert him. He is not amused by underwear until he is challenged to repeat the word ten times without laughing. Of course, after a few repetitions, he be gins to chortle and children, like Bis mark, will be overcome with laughter by the final shout of ``underwear.'' What could have been an unbelievable moralistic tale (could one's whole disposition really change with a few repetitions of a silly word?) is saved by Munsinger's delightful illustrations. Her animals are full of frolicsome fun, and the variety of underwear is appropriately zany. Children will be unable to resist Zachary and Orfo as they cavort in the trees with underwear donned as hats and numerous pairs trailing from their limbs. Sheer frivolous fun.
