Big Girl Panties: Fran Manushkin & Valeria Petrone
November 26, 2012
Book: Big Girl Panties
Author: Fran Manushkin
Illustrator: Valeria Petrone
Pages: 24
Age Range: 3-5
Big Girl Panties follows a pig-tailed preschooler as she graduates from diapers to panties. She glories in her various types of panties, and in her superiority over her baby brother, who is still in diapers. She celebrates being like her mother, grandmother, and aunt, all wearing big girl panties. She is happy, happy, happy throughout the entire book.
Fran Manushkin's text is minimal and exclamation point-filled. Like this:
"I can prance in my panties
and dance in my panties!
No crocodile!
You can't wear panties."
Valeria Petrone's illustrations are brightly colored and energetic. The people don't look quite realistic, but the range of different patterned panties is a joy to behold.
There are a few opportunities for learning throughout Big Girl Panties, via days of the week panties, and the pointing out of panties with particular colors or patterns. But mostly, this is a book that, accurately I think, captures the excitement of little girls over graduating from diapers to panties. I recommend it for parents of toddler girls who want to pump up the joys of successfully completing potty training. Big Girl Panties is also a good companion book to Leslie Patricelli's Potty (which my child knows word for word).
Publisher: Robin Corey Books (@RandomHouseKids)
Publication Date: September 11, 2012
Source of Book: Review copy from the publisher
© 2012 by Jennifer Robinson of Jen Robinson's Book Page. All rights reserved. This site is an Amazon affiliate, and purchases made through Amazon links may result in my receiving a small commission (at no additional cost to you).