because everyone needs knickers!
/
QUEEN VICTORIA'S UNDERPANTS
by Jackie French and Bruce Whatley - Harper Collins Australia, 2010
age guide: 2 - 10 years
Ivy is reaching that age where we're laying the foundation for toilet training. She’s not quite ready yet, but as part of the process we've introduced her to the concept of underpants.
Well, she loves them (I don’t really know why). She wants to wear them (over her nappy) all the time and has started referring to anything that doesn’t fit the standard definition of ‘clothes’ as ‘knickers’.
So, thanks to obsession, we're reading Queen Victoria’s Underpants by Jackie French. A lot. And I'm loving it.
The story is told by a little girl named Lizzy, whose mum is famous for making underpants. (This was a new concept at the time, especially for women.)
Lizzy's mum is so famous that Queen Victoria, Empress of half the world, has commissioned her to make Her Majesty some underpants of her very own!
While this is a great honour, it presents the family with some important questions like: Why does a QUEEN need underwear? And what kind of underwear would a queen want?
They come up with some really amusing answers and some really fabulous underwear!
Some of the humour is beyond Ivy just yet, she doesn't 'get' why it matters if someone doesn't wear underpants, or how come bagpipe underpants are so funny. But there are lots of things I hope she is learning - things like:
Everyone wears underpants and clothing can be fun.
Everyone has the same basic needs (that go way beyond underpants) whether that person is a young girl or Queen of half the world.
And, if there's something important to do the whole family can work together to get it done.
Whether your baby or child is wearing nappies, knickers, underwear or bloomers this is a book full of fun that you'll all love together.
