Lots More Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing

This husband-and-wife team follow up their classic picture book Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing (1970) and its sequel, Animals Should Definitely Not Act like People (1980), with a look at more animals dressed hilariously in human attire. But, as with the other titles, looking silly isn’t the reason why a horse, frog, bear, spider, and others ought not to get dressed. Instead, it’s “because a crab would tear it up” (the crab is pictured ripping apart its plaid shirt with its claws) and “because an elk would have too many choices.” The elk, rendered in Barrett’s distinctive pen-and-ink art, wears anxiety on its face while peering up at the many hats perched on its antlers. A skunk really shouldn’t wear a plaid skirt because it “could make it stinky,” while a turtle “has a turtleneck of its own.” The formula—a finger-wagging narrator up against ludicrous circumstances—is familiar but no less delightful in this companion title. Ages 4–8. (Mar.)