Veggies with Wedgies by Todd H. Doodler (review)

Mass speculation ensues among the garden vegetables when Farmer John leaves his tightie whities hanging on the clothesline (to the veggies’ responses of “What are those?” and “They look comfy”). A scholarly carrot explains to the others precisely what underwear are and how they function, and the veggies subsequently decide that they would like to try them on. Veggies turn out not to be naturals at donning underpants (“It took a little bit of hopping and a lot of wiggling”), and they are ultimately distressed by the discomfort caused by “terrible wedgies.” When they swap the garments around among them, though, they all find the perfect fit, and they are so pleased that they make up an underwear song on the spot. The appeal here is entirely rooted in the entertainment draw of underpants, as there’s not much plot to the story, and even those willing to suspend logic (why would the farmer’s underpants be different sizes? How big are these veggies, anyway?) will find that there is not quite enough humor to carry the narrative. That said, there is an abundance of visual comedy as the assorted produce bounce around the farmyard in undergarments (especially in the backside gallery of veg displaying their wedge). The digitally rendered illustrations offer large fields of solid color with little textural detail; the veggies themselves are composed of a few basic colors, half-circle mouths, and large googly eyes, and the backdrop is mostly the brown dirt of the garden. Kids ready to move up from Todd Parr’s underwear titles may appreciate the anthropomorphized cast of underpants-wearing produce delighting in their new find. Meanwhile, “Farmer John is still looking for his underwear.”