Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed [Hardcover]

Mo Willems (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Wilbur is different from the other Naked Mole Rats in his Colony, because he wears clothes (and he likes it!).   But what will happen when Grandpah, the oldest, wisest, and most naked Naked Mole Rat ever discovers Wilbur’s secret?

Funnyman and three-time Caldecott Honoree Mo Willems exposes the naked truth about being yourself and wearing it well.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Willems's contemporary fable concerns the way in which a young member of the species "naked mole rats" is different. As the nomenclature suggests, the group does not wear clothing, with the singular exception of Wilbur. His extensive wardrobe, ranging from a tuxedo to a space suit, and his insistence on wearing it, cause much consternation and criticism from his colony. At last, they consult Grand-pah, "the oldest, greatest, and most naked naked mole rat ever." He calls a town meeting. To everyone's surprise, particularly the protagonist's, Grand-pah arrives in a seersucker suit and waxes eloquent on the wisdom of Wilbur's simple question: "Why not?" Converts abound and a celebration ensues in which some dress up and some do not, but everyone has fun. Willems has a talent for creating funny lines, verbally and visually. Beige backgrounds provide an uncluttered stage for his pink creatures with their oversize rectangular heads, each conveying a distinctive personality. Much of the humor resides in the subtle changes in Wilbur's eyes and, of course, in his colorful costumes. Adults will embrace the message of tolerance, happy to have a tale that can be shared with young children. They will also appreciate the hints of Charles Schultz that surface here and there. Kids will giggle-and wish their daily dramas had similar endings. Now, however, they'll have a script.—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
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From Booklist

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. Preschool-Grade 2. --Daniel Kraus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH (January 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142311437X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423114376
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 10.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A three-time Caldecott Honor winner for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Mo Willems has also won two Geisel Medals for There is a Bird on Your Head! and Are You Ready to Play Outside? And his books are perennial New York Times bestsellers. Before he turned to children's books, Mo was a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he won six Emmy Awards. Mo lives with his family in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Playing dress-up with Mo, January 12, 2009

By 

Kathryn Gaglione "The Bibliophile" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed (Hardcover)

Maybe it's because I love every other book by Mo Willems, or maybe it's because I went to a book signing for this book, or maybe it's because I'm a little in love with Mo, but I thought this book was adorable.

In a world where no one would be caught in public in anything more than their birthday suit, one mole rat dares to defy social tradition and don clothes. One mole rat stands against a social order of injustice where a shirt and shoes won't get you service, where ruffles and lace make you overdressed for even the most formal occasion, where flip-flops are too dressy to meet the Grand Pumba. I'll stop there before I get really carried away.

With classic Mo wit and wisdom, this book made me laugh and want to play dress-up. The anti-Emperor's New Clothes, this book was a delight.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hurrah for Naked Mole Rats!, February 21, 2009

By 

Jennifer Johnston (Formerly Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed (Hardcover)

I found this book in a round about sort of way. I am not familiar with Mo Willems other works, so he as the author was not a deciding factor for me. The reason that I decided to purchase this book is because my three-year-old daughter's best friend is a stuffed naked mole rat, and I could not pass up an opportunity to have a book with one of her favorite critters as the subject.

This book is such a joy; it never gets tired. My husband and I have read it over and over again to our daughter for weeks now and we all enjoy it as much as the first time we read it. It's story about being yourself and being willing to try new things pairs wonderfully with the charming illustrations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun little book for any Mo Willems fan, January 19, 2009

By 

Stanley Cup "Hockey Mom" (Holly Springs, NC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed (Hardcover)

I love Mo Willems and the books he writes. I love that there are children's writers out there that write books for the sake of being silly, because really, couldn't we all use a good laugh!? The title of the book alone, and the fact that I am a Mo fan, made me buy this book the minute it came out. I could not wait to see what he was going to do with a topic for a book about naked mole rats. The fun started immediately when he writes, "No shirt. No shoes. Service." A great homage to a familiar sign.

In typical Mo fashion, the book is silly, geared towards kids who like to laugh, and parents who like to read books to kids who enjoy this type of humor. Our friend Wilbur, who is supposed to fall in line like all the other naked mole rats in his colony, is a rebel who likes to wear clothes. And this is where the trouble begins for poor Wilbur. One sarcastic mole rat suggests he opens a clothing store more as an after thought to make Wilbur feel stupid, and sure enough, that is EXACTLY what Wilbur does. The mole rats try convince him to take off his duds and go commando, even summoning the oldest and greatest grand-poobah of the tribe in hopes that Wilbur sees the light. I won't give away the ending, but it is safe to say, this is a great book about being true to yourself despite all the peer pressure that surrounds you.

Why did I not give my beloved Mo five stars? I wished he had made the story a little bit longer to develop the character of Wilbur and added a bit more humor. We wanted to know more about Wilbur and how he came to wear clothing when all the other naked mole rats did not, and we wanted a reason to cheer for him in his pursuit of a clothing not-optional lifestyle. We never warmed up to Wilbur like we did with the Pigeon in Mo's "Pigeon" series. It is a fun book with a cute concept, but I think the "Pigeon" books are a little funnier. My 8 year old son thought so too. We read and re-read the "Pigeon" books A LOT, but he has not asked to hear this story again and we have had the book two weeks. There were not as many laugh out loud parts to this book as there are in the "Pigeon" books, but it is still funny, and there are still plenty of parts in the book to love. His illustrations continue to be great and really capture the spirit of the book. If you like Mo, you will like this book.

Also of note: Amazon has this listed as a book for the 9-12 year old age range. I don't think they chose the correct range. I would say the book is meant for kids ages 4-10, and of course, all adults! I can't imagine a child much older than 10 who is reading chapter books finding the book as appealing as a younger child.