Review by Booklist Review
Willems begins by giving us all the background we need about naked mole rats: 1. They are a little bit rat. 2. They are a little bit mole. 3. They are all naked. All except Wilbur, an earnest dandy who can't resist donning ties, jackets, pants, hats, or even entire superhero or astronaut getups. After all, the more outfits he has, the more he can pretend to be all sorts of different characters. Wilbur's nude friends are appalled and complain to the colony ruler, who unexpectedly decrees that, from here on, their colony will be clothing-optional. Soon everyone is crazily clad and snapping up duds from Wilbur's new clothing store. Willems' art follows the simple style of his Elephant and Piggie books, and is dominated in color by (no surprise) naked-mole-rat pink. An ongoing horizontal line lends continuity to most of the pages, occasionally curving to add simple architecture to the scenes. But mostly it is Wilbur's guileless observations that will have young readers feeling good about individual expression.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the opening pages of this buoyant picture book, Willems (Knuffle Bunny) informs readers that "for this story" they need only know three things about naked mole rats: "1. They are a little bit rat. 2. They are a little bit mole. 3. They are all naked." The exception to point number three, however, is Wilbur, who revels in a wardrobe that ranges from a turtleneck and beret to an astronaut suit-infuriating his brethren. When the naked mole rats complain to their leader, Grand-pah, he gathers the colony and issues a proclamation. Happily for Wilbur, it's a call for tolerance. Willems is fully aware that nudity = comic gold for this audience, and his legion of emotive, square-headed rodents-far cuter than in real life-are paired successfully with droll prose ("Grand-pah did look heroic. Grand-pah did look regal. But he would also look heroic and regal in a casual shirt and some summer slacks"). Straightforward and engaging. Ages 3-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-"Wilbur is different from the other naked mole rats in the colony: he wears clothes." He likes to dress up in everything from a suit and tie to a space suit, and the other mole rats criticize him. At a town meeting, Grand-pah decides that it's up to each individual mole rat to decide to wear clothing or to go naked. Mo Willem's hit picture book (Hyperion, 2009) comes to life in this production. His wonderful artwork featuring the pink mole rats has been animated, and the narration is expressively performed by Willems and his wife and daughter. The video has a few extra words of dialogue not found in the book, but the audio recording matches the book's text exactly. Jazzy background music adds fun to the telling. An interview with Willems concludes the DVD. The CD features the book's narration, optional page-turn signals, and an original song about the fun of dressing up. Children will enjoy this humorous production with a message about tolerance.-Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UT (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Wilbur's love of clothes sets the rest of the naked mole rat community abuzz with censure. In the end, though, Wilbur's oddball approach to life is both validated and celebrated. With snappy humor and snappier duds, Willems delivers the familiar be-true-to-yourself adage with panache; his expressive characters telegraph plenty of motion and emotion on sparely composed, reader-friendly spreads. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Willems tackles the old it's-OK-to-be-different genre with his customary chutzpah and subversive charm. It is common knowledge that naked mole rats are just that: naked. Wilbur, however, is a strange fellow who enjoys a nice set of clothes. Suffice it to say the other mole rats are shocked and horrified by his behavior. They mock him, show him heroic portraits of naked heroes and finally complain to the great Grand-pah, who is both very wise and very nude. But after some consideration, Grand-pah surprises everyone by proclaiming (while wearing a rather natty outfit of his own) that while clothes "may not be for everyone" they certainly can be fun. Willems eschews a black-and-white encouragement to stand out from the crowd, offering instead a story that makes a case for different opinions to operate side by side. There are some similarities to the Pigeon format (including the trademark temper tantrum, for instance), but otherwise this is a story that stands firmly on its two bare feet. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
