Aliens Love Dinopants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort
| Aliens Love Dinopants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Sam Tyler
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| Summary: Join those pants-loving aliens once more in an adventure that will see them come across some dinosaurs who are equally enthusiastic about undergarments in this vividly illustrated tale. | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: October 2015 |
| Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9781471120947 | |
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Who would have thought that underpants would have been such lucrative business, but Claire Freedman has proved that this is certainly the case with a series of books that have seen aliens, dinosaurs, pirates and even Santa getting involved in undergarment action. Where can you go after all these legendary figures? A mash-up book of course! What would happen if a group of pants loving aliens met a group of pants loving dinosaurs?
Flying around the universe looking for pants is what one group of aliens likes to do and when they land on a mysterious planet they stumble across the mother lode; a massive pile of giant pants. However, these pants are not just hanging free, they are owned by a group of grizzly dinosaurs who don't take kindly to any pant-stealing action. With both the aliens and the dinosaurs having a mutual love of undies – can't they get along?
There is something fundamentally amusing about the word pants, especially to a 4 year old. Nothing quite makes a cheeky tyke chuckle than a reference to undergarments or bodily functions. As an adult we can poo-poo this (!), but as the previous Aliens Love Underpants books have proven, kids enjoy stories about boxers. In Aliens Love Dinopants Freedman has combined two of the groups that have served her well in previous books, but can the aliens and the dinosaurs meet pants to pants?
The story in Dinopants is as absurd as you would imagine, it really amounts to little more than referencing undergarments as often as possible. There is a silly charm to be had reading about a bunch of enthusiastic aliens on their odd mission and it is nice to see that when they meet the dinosaurs the characters are not immediately at loggerheads. Freedman does a good job of teaching kids that you don't have to argue about something you both like – mutual appreciation of something can lead to a lasting friendship.
Where the book really shines is in Ben Cort's illustrations. This could be the real reason that the books are so popular. Not only has Cort designed some iconic pants wearing aliens, but he also creates some impressive and colourful dinosaurs. In the large format version of the book, the 32 pages look amazing. Each double spread is vividly coloured and pops from the page. If not much is happening in the story, Cort is sure to add a surprise or two in the background – underpants wearing monkeys anyone? On a couple of occasions the design flips from portrait to landscape, making the book feel more interactive and fun.
Aliens Love Dinopants smacks of a series that is running slightly out of ideas – pants are only amusing for so long. The story is a little lacklustre and relies almost wholly on the fact that pants are amusing to 4 year olds. However, for all the issues that the narrative has, the illustrations and colours make up for it. Despite the flatness of the story, the images come alive. The vivid drawings will capture the imagination, even when you are questioning the story. This is one of those books that will be loved by the child audience, but less so the adult, but who is it aimed at?
You are probably not surprised, but there are loads of children's book about pants including Ants in Your Pants! by Julia Jarman and Guy Parker-Rees and Don't Put Your Pants on Your Head, Fred by Caryl Hart and Leigh Hodgkinson
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You can read more book reviews or buy Aliens Love Dinopants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Aliens Love Dinopants by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort at Amazon.com.
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