Review: The Underwear Wolf


Strange things can occur around a full moon. So, it's little wonder the nephew of Uncle Larry experiences a questionable episode at that time after said uncle bestows him with a bevy of birthday undies (aka underwear). How he then becomes The Underwear Wolf is the basis of this wonderfully witty and winsome new picture book by Gideon Sterer and the ineffable Charles Santoso.

Our young wolf-to-be is like any youngster; when faced with stern instructions about when and how to don his favourite pair of underwear, he blithely interprets them to suit his own impetuous nature. Thus, a furry pair of undies is worn on a ... full moon despite instructions not to. 

What follows is an hilarious romp through the suburban streets by the light of the moon, not as a young boy rather as a large-eared, hairier than a thousand hamsters, werewolf. Seemingly under the whim of the moon, our hairy monster takes off with grunts and growls and an uncontrollable urge to rampage his neighbourhood streets. Clinging to a shred of self-awareness wolf-boy considers taking off his underwear but his concern about being butt naked overrides common sense so on he prowls until the call of something much more primal reaches him - a huge horde of wolves!

There's a distant nod to Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are as werewolf boy illudes the confines of his everyday ordinary bedroom for an adventure far more daring and wild just as Max did. This cheeky comparison aside, The Underwear Wolf is in his own right a boy faced with the only choice given him when it comes to boring old every day conformality in favour of something wilder and more wicked.

Sterer's first person narrative is deliciously direct, laced with humour and action driven internal thoughts that every primary schooler will appreciate. Coupled with Santoso's loud and luscious illustrations, this predominantly nighttime setting comes alive with crazy conjecture and runaway joie de vivre. I loved it. So too will Halloween obsessed youngsters and those who just want a moment or two of unrestrained madness. 

Title: The Underwear Wolf
Author: Gideon Sterer
Illustrator: Charles Santoso
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $29.99
Publication Date: 23 September 2026
Format:  Hardcover
ISBN:  9781665955584
For ages: 4 - 8
Type: Picture Book

Buy the Book: Simon & Schuster

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I've got a dream

Image
Almost a decade of moons ago, I made a serendipitous discovery that forever altered the spin of my world. Falling pregnant after so many years of waiting and yearning was nothing short of miraculous (for me) and a life event definitely worth waxing lyrical about. But did I? Sadly, not as much I as wanted to. There are those who find it hard to exist without sharing the contents of their dinner plates with the rest of  the world, then there are others who worry that a beautifully executed birthday cake photo shared on social media will somehow demean the starving populations of the world. I oscillate between the two but tend towards the latter, always fretting over how others will take good news in light of their own current situations and struggles, thus resorting to a severe downplaying of my own good fortune. The pregnancy of my first child should have been a joyous occasion - it was a joyous pregnancy after all - but I was acutely conscious at the time of another family me...
Read more

Review: Pax

Image
‘ What does the fox say?” Well, in the case of Pax, the red fox, it’s more about what he feels, thinks, smells and reacts to that relays his emotions in such a tangible way, you’d swear you understand fox language. That is one of the most magical things about Sara Pennypacker’s , Pax , along with the charming splatters of illustration throughout by Jon Klassen. Peter is a young boy on the cusp of teenage-hood living alone with his father only he is not quite alone. His closest companion is Pax, a young fox he rescued as a kit. They share a relationship closer than the traditional boy / dog connection that endures the occasional dissent of Peter’s father. Virtually inseparable, Pax enjoys a solace and calm in his human boy’s world that engulfs Peter’s heart just as securely. It’s a bond seemingly unbreakable but is dramatically tested one day when Peter’s father enlists and is summoned to war. This story begins with Pax’s jettison from Peter’s car and … his life after his father in...
Read more

Review: Gone To The Woods

Image
Regrettably, Gary Paulsen was a bit of an unknown to me until discovering this transcending story about his childhood. A multi-award winning author of young adult fiction, Paulsen reveals how his ability to smith words developed as a consequence of his remarkable upbringing, or more accurately, lack thereof. Paulsen was, not literally an orphan, but he was a lost child. Gone to the Woods begins with one such journey adrift an ocean of salacious events thanks to his mother and her penchant for supplementing her hourly wage at local Chicago clubs. At just five years of age, Paulsen is dumped upon a train bound for a relatives’ farm in north Minnesota not far from the Canadian border. It proves to be his temporary salvation and a place he acquires the art of patience, a deep respect for nature and an appreciation of what genuine kindness tastes like. Edy’s motherly compassion and Sig’s reticent guidance nurture the abandoned boy until a sense of who he is begins to emerge. It’s bone...
Read more