Hooey Higgins and the Tremendous Trousers

Gr 1–3—Hooey's Higgins's teacher, Miss Troutson, is a little tired of the uproar caused by her death-defying class: staple guns used as weapons, children's legs being used as a sawhorse, and a student nearly getting hammered in the face. She decides it is time to teach them the importance of safety and asks the class to complete a project over the weekend; each group must design "something that will make the world a safer place." To sweeten the pot, Miss Troutson offers a pair of tickets to the local fair to the winner. Hooey and his classmate Twig have a hard time coming up with ideas, so they enlist Hooey's older brother to help out. Together they come up with the Tremendous Trousers, the world's safest pants. They build capital for their endeavor by tricking the school bully into sitting on an ant hill, resulting in a mad, pantless rush across the schoolyard. After that, it's up to them to build the safest, most tremendous trousers ever seen. Students who like their characters less than perfect will appreciate this British import. The illustrator has expertly displayed their silliness with his simple, childlike designs, reminiscent of a simplified Quentin Blake. Despite the excellent drawings and rare moments of laugh-out-loud situational humor, the plot feels uninspired and drags in places. Purchase where the first title in the series is popular.—Devin Burritt, Wells Public Library, ME