No pants!

Bright pink Pablo is acquiescent as can be while getting ready for a big party—he eats oatmeal when there's no time for pancakes ("Um. OK," he says, clearly disappointed), clears his dishes, goes potty, and washes his hands. But a kid's autonomy can only be squashed so much, and Pablo finally strikes back when asked to don trousers: "NO PANTS!" With escalating levels of comic opposition and impatience, all-dialogue text by Grant (Bear Meets Bear) should make for a boisterous readaloud as Dad marshals elaborate counter-arguments evoking family, history, and tradition: "Pants have been made in every shape and size you can imagine, and people wear pants all around the planet. Even in space!" Pablo, meanwhile, asserts that he'll wear the pants, just not on his legs: "Upside down pants are the best pants!" Dad eventually wins this funny and realistic skirmish of wills, but via a droll turn, it's Pablo who triumphs in the war of independence. Digitally colored charcoal, crayon, pencil, and cut paper illustrations are authentically slice-of-life, with a crisp energy that packs the wallop of animation and comics. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Chudney, the Chudney Agency. (Apr.) Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly.

Bright pink Pablo is acquiescent as can be while getting ready for a big party—he eats oatmeal when there's no time for pancakes ("Um. OK," he says, clearly disappointed), clears his dishes, goes potty, and washes his hands. But a kid's autonomy can only be squashed so much, and Pablo finally strikes back when asked to don trousers: "NO PANTS!" With escalating levels of comic opposition and impatience, all-dialogue text by Grant (Bear Meets Bear) should make for a boisterous readaloud as Dad marshals elaborate counter-arguments evoking family, history, and tradition: "Pants have been made in every shape and size you can imagine, and people wear pants all around the planet. Even in space!" Pablo, meanwhile, asserts that he'll wear the pants, just not on his legs: "Upside down pants are the best pants!" Dad eventually wins this funny and realistic skirmish of wills, but via a droll turn, it's Pablo who triumphs in the war of independence. Digitally colored charcoal, crayon, pencil, and cut paper illustrations are authentically slice-of-life, with a crisp energy that packs the wallop of animation and comics. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Chudney, the Chudney Agency. (Apr.) Copyright 2021 Publishers Weekly.

Toddler-PreS—Children will find much to love in Pablo, who after the disappointment over oatmeal, not pancakes, and after putting his dish in the sink, brushing his teeth, and more, declares, "No pants!" Father and son, both brown-skinned with dark hair, debate the origins of pants, who wears them, what style, but with the need to leave for a party pressing on them, the conversation grows heated. Colorful illustrations show all the shenanigans, highlighting the story and complementing the flow of the very funny text. Grant is keenly attuned to this classic argument, and then twists it: When Pablo and his father arrive at the pool party, almost no one is wearing conventional pants. VERDICT A shaggy dog story that will engage readers old and young.—Elizabeth Willoughby, John P. Faber Sch., Dunellen, NJ Copyright 2021 School Library Journal.

When his busy father prompts him to get ready for an exciting family cookout, an exuberant young Pablo decides that he would rather not wear his pants and would have more fun finding other ways to use them. Simultaneous eBook. Illustrations.

When his busy father prompts him to get ready for an exciting family cookout, an exuberant young Pablo decides that he would rather not wear his pants and would have more fun finding other ways to use them.

Laugh-out-loud father-son drama in which the dad learns an important and timely lesson--pants are NOT for everyone!Pablo and his dad are ready for a great day. It's party day! A cookout with the whole family. All they need to do is get ready. Eat breakfast. Brush teeth. Put on pants. And they'll be ready to go! Only Pablo has another idea: No Pants!Suddenly it's looking as if party time is a ways off after all. Here's a hilarious and warm-hearted look at a father-son relationship that shows there is more than one way of wearing--and thinking about--pants!