50 Underwear Questions: A Bare-All History

Description

Most of us take our underwear for granted, but throughout history our undies have revealed a lot about who we are (king or peasant), how we work (in fields or factories) or the shapes we value (manly calves or tiny waists). The third book in Annick's 50 Questions series tackles questions such as "What's that smell?" (Medieval Europeans thought bathing made you sick) and "Did boxers arrive in the Nick of time?" (When blue jean model Nick Kamen stepped out of his denims to reveal his boxers, sales of the underwear soared.) Underwear has played a role in ancient crusades, city sieges and even modern economic predictions. Obviously, it's time to uncover the facts about everything from loincloths and T-shirts to bloomers and lingerie. Young readers will laugh their pants off at the accompanying cartoons and get the bare, but fascinating, facts about the history of our unmentionables.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books for young readers, including "The Lowdown on Denim" and "50 Burning Questions: A Sizzling History of Fire." She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. Ross Kinnaird is an illustrator who has worked in London, Sydney, and Hong Kong. He currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand.

A highly recommended resource for all curious readers who enjoy a good laugh.--Ana Malespin"Resource Links" (12/01/2011) Suggested for ages nine-plus, but the tone is sufficiently brisk and the material so fun and different, most anyone will enjoy this one.--India Wilson"January Magazine" (12/04/2011) This extremely informative book takes a topic that is inherently interesting to kids and presents it in a manner that is both sprightly and nonsensational.... Beyond the 50 questions, which take readers on a worldwide, historical tour, there's even more info in the numerous sidebars that offer anecdotes, games, and embellishments on each question. All this is illustrated in amusing cartoon-style art that isn't afraid to play up what's funny about the subject.--Ilene Cooper"Booklist" (12/15/2011)