Does your child act like he’s allergic to pants, shirts, and underwear? A new book about a little boy who likes being naked but loves his father even more might help change your tiny one’s tune.
“Birthday Suit,” by Olive Senior (Annick Press), tells the story of Johnny, a free-spirited kid who likes to run around au naturel. Johnny enjoys waking up early when the weather is warm and running down to the beach, poking his toes in the salty water, and splashing around in the buff. He’s been doing this since he was a little baby and the fish never seem to mind what he does — or does not — wear.
But when Johnny turns 4, his mom tells him that he’s now a big boy and needs to start wearing clothes — like some fancy, red swim trunks she has bought him that are just right for a boy like him to wear to the beach. Johnny puts them on, but the second his mama isn’t looking, off come the trunks, and the frisky 4-year-old is back in the ocean wearing nothing but sand and water. Johnny’s mother decides to try other types of clothing, like a pair of overalls. But they snap on too tight and make Johnny cry. Even the fish at the beach hate the overalls, so Johnn figures out a way to wiggle out of them.
But then Johnny’s dad gets a great idea that makes overalls and swim trunks feel absolutely natural for a growing boy to wear.
Every toddler who’s ever peeled off his clothes and raced through the room will love this story. Senior’s mischievous main character is loveable, relatable, and like most happy-go-lucky toddlers, knows the freedom of skipping through warm waves at the beach without his pants.
This book is tasteful, cute, and though it’s meant for 3-to-5-year-old streakers, it’ll make adults smile, too. If your child needs to hold his britches, “Birthday Suit” will fit them like a tailored suit.
“Birthday Suit,” by Olive Senior. [32 pages, 2012, $8.95].
Terri Schlichenmeyer has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill with two dogs and 12,000 books.
