En slip !

by Jacob Grant

Laugh-out-loud father-son drama in which the dad learns an important and timely lesson--pants are NOT for everyone!

Pablo and his dad are ready for a great day. It's party day! A cookout with the whole family. All they need to do is get ready. Eat breakfast. Brush teeth. Put on pants. And they'll be ready to go!
Only Pablo has another idea: No Pants!
Suddenly it's looking as if party time is a ways off after all.
Here's a hilarious and warm-hearted look at a father-son relationship that shows there is more than one way of wearing--and thinking about--pants!

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Storytime, Family, Fiction, Juvenile

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2021

About the author

Hello! I’m Jacob Grant and I make picture books. Absurd and heartfelt picture books.

Originally from Ohio, I now live in Chicago with my wife and one very busy child. When not wrangling this little force of nature, I can be found in my home studio drawing, painting and writing until something feels story-ish. With a bit of luck, some of this mess gets made into books!

Author and Illustrator of:
BEAR'S SCARE Bloomsbury 2018
THROUGH WITH THE ZOO Feiwel & Friends 2017
CAT KNIT Feiwel & Friends 2016
LITTLE BIRD'S BAD WORD Feiwel & Friends 2015
SCAREDY KATE Barron’s 2014

Illustrator of:
OWLS ARE GOOD AT KEEPING SECRETS Penguin Random House 2018

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or just to say hi.

Reviews

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kind of a flop for me. I thought it would be great for Skye, since she hates pants. But it was too bland. The story, the illustrations were blah. It had potential when Daddy isn't wearing pants and then they go to a pool party, but it fell flat for me.

[Flossmoor Public Library (IL) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This picture book is adorable and very realistic! It is about a father trying to get his young son ready to go to a party. Unfortunately, the son refuses to put on pants! The book proceeds with back-and-forth dialogue with the son trying to negotiate with his father on how to get away without putting on pants, and the father patiently explaining why they are necessary. It has a humorous, surprise ending!

~ Miss Emily

[Heather Stigall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pablo is excited about Party Day, so he eats breakfast, brushes his teeth, uses the potty, washes his hands, and gets dressed. Well, not quite. Pablo insists, “No Pants!” After some explaining, coaxing, negotiating, and silliness, Pablo and his dad finally head off to the party, fashionably late. Jacob Grant’s all-dialogue text is accompanied by cut-paper illustrations in hues of golds, reds, and blues. I love the expressive characters and especially enjoyed watching how the family dog plays a behind-the-scenes role all his own. This story has everything from a silly but familiar concept, a father-son relationship, and a dog sidekick to a surprise under the book jacket and even (despite the title) pants! This book is pure fun!

[Bettendorf Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

To all the kids who have refused to put on their clothes and all the parents who have explained
why they must, this book is for you. Full of hilarity and heart, this book has it all, including a few
surprises along the way.
— Christine

[Jeremiah Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars because the end surprised me. And it was fun to read aloud with my kids.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this book just because of the title and the fact that I call my dog Muppet-No-Pants lol. Didn't have expectations of the book honestly, but I was so pleasantly surprised! Very cute rhyming story about a boy and his (single?) dad going to a party. Dad insists that the kid wear pants, but the kid keeps successfully arguing his points.
Dad says everyone wears pants outside! The kid finds examples of people wearing dresses or other outfits.
Dad says parties require pants - and when they finally get there, it's a pool party and no one is wearing pants after all!
I think it's a cute and fun example of how kids know more and are smarter than adults think!

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

...HAAAA!

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 kinda fun story about not wearing pants

[Harriet Lynn Jacobson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun book, and not all books need to be for everyone, but the fact that skirts exist and people wear them isn't addressed here. As a woman, I felt I didn't belong in this book.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a laugh out of me. I will use this in my 2-3 and 3-5 story time programs.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s party day for Pablo and his father, but first, he must get ready. Pablo eats breakfast, brushes his teeth, uses the bathroom, and washes his hands; all that’s left to do is get dressed, and then Pablo and his father can go to the party, but Pablo does not want to wear pants! His father explains that everyone wears pants, and Pablo needs to wear pants to go to the party. After pushing his father to the edge, Pablo finally puts on pants, but now his father is missing his pants!

This is a humorous look at a common disagreement between parents and children: clothes and getting dressed. Readers will connect with either Pablo (not wanting to wear pants) or his father (needing to leave and having an uncooperative child). As Pablo’s father tries to get him to put his pants on and explains that everyone wears pants, Pablo pushes him to his breaking point (as many parents will understand). Jacob Grant uses bright paper, pencil, and digital illustrations to bring Pablo to life. This is a fun, universal addition to any picture book collection.

[Ezra Garner]

I am beside myself laughing at the 2* ratings on here! ‘skirts weren’t in the book, I don’t feel included’ … do you feel that way about books about penguins or trucks or dinosaurs ? haha! Not everything is about you or including you, not everything has to celebrate your belief! And that’s a valuable lesson in this world!!! This was a very silly and funny book my son and I thoroughly enjoyed and the ending had us giggling!

[Grace McCrery]

This book is very funny and I think students would get a good laugh out of reading it. The book goes through the struggles of trying to get dressed and understanding that there sometimes is no reason why we do simple things, like wear pants. In this case a young boy does not understand why we wear pants and his father does everything he can to explain why. The illustrations help explain by showing images of different professions and the types of pants they wear. The boy is finally convinced to wear pants to the party they are attending, however the party is a pool party. The book ends with the boy yelling “NO PANTS!!” because you don't swim in pants.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and silly book starring a father and son talking about all the different types of pants, the places we wear them, and why they're important... Most of the time! Liked the diversity in the examples of people wearing pants. Can definitely see pulling this out for a storytime on clothes/getting dressed (or pools/swimming!). Maybe pair with Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed?

(Totally grabbed this one of the shelf because youngest two nieces are solidly in the pants-free stage of toddlerhood, and this title just spoke to me)

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a party day, and the boy can't wait to get there. Except he has to eat breakfast, brush his teeth, etc, and with each chore he gets more and more resentful. Until it gets time to get dressed, and he refuses to put on his pants. Parents everywhere will relate to trying to get recalcitrant kids ready to go, and the creative arguments the kids put forth to not do whatever it is. The ending is a suitably funny twist, and not what I expected. This is too long for a toddler storytime, but might work for a preschool storytime. Pair this with "Fred Gets Dressed" or "Still Stuck" for more clothing mayhem.

[Miss Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book just because I thought the title was funny. Didn't have expectations of the book honestly, but I was so pleasantly surprised! Very cute rhyming story about a boy and his (single?) dad going to a party. Dad insists that the kid wear pants, but the kid keeps successfully arguing his points.
Dad says everyone wears pants outside! The kid finds examples of people wearing dresses or other outfits.
Dad says parties require pants - and when they finally get there, it's a pool party and no one is wearing pants after all!
I think it's a cute and fun example of how kids know more and are smarter than adults think!

[Jessie Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me laugh out loud. Young Pablo, like so many of us, does not want to put on pants. His father points out that most people wear pants most of the time and explains the long history of pants-wearing. Pablo is not swayed until the very end. BUT it turns out the party is a pool party and Pablo doesn't need pants after all! Told entirely in dialogue, this would make for a great readaloud.

[Margaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

What parent hasn't had this argument? I have this argument almost daily, and my kid is only 13 months old. Luckily, they are fond of dresses but I digress.

Dad and Pablo are getting ready to go to a family party, but Pablo doesn't want to wear pants. Pair with Barnaby Never Forgets for a no-pants themed storytime :D

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very first thing I did after reading this book was come on here and follow the author then order more of his books. This book made me laugh, even more than my 3yo son. The artistry is nothing spectacular, but he captures expressions BRILLIANTLY. The story is something I can see happening to me and most parents of little boys. I also love that the main characters are a Latino boy and his father (uncommon in preschool books).

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

If it's summer and time for a pool party, then they should be wearing shorts. And why not use this as an opportunity to start making skirts on males more mainstream? I feel bad at work on a hot day when I have on a short flippy skirt and my male colleagues have on pants. But then nobody is stopping them ...

I did like when Pablo put on his pants in alternate ways. And the overall format was good.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is told in dialogue format between a young boy and his father. They are getting ready to head to a party and Pablo needs to put some pants on, which Pablo adamantly defies his father's pleas. Dad is trying to convince young Pablo that everyone, "even astronauts" wear some sort of pants but thanks to Grandpa! Pablo doesn't see the need to wear them. Cute little surprise at the end of the book which I won't share. Does Pablo end up wearing pants? Read the book and find out! =)

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the twist at the end (after all the work the poor dad put in to get his child dressed!). Very voicey, funny, and realistic argument between parent and child. The long list of different kinds of pants in history and the pantsless grandpa was funny. Maybe Pablo needed a couple extra options to appease his autonomy, haha.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pablo’s father tries to cajole him into putting on pants, so they can attend a family gathering.

”You have to wear pants, Pablo. It’s what we do when we go outside. Everybody wears pants.”

Young readers will relate to not wanting to get dressed, and caregivers will relate to the frustration of trying to convince a child to do something s/he doesn’t want to do.

[Jared White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is one which both caregivers and small children would enjoy because both sides can probably relate to the No Pants battle (or at least no clothes battle). I know I put it on my "toddler storytime" shelf but it may be too wordy for some toddlers to sit through.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of parents and kids arguing over getting dressed is universal, but this one just wasn't amusing and it didn't teach anything new. Then the way it ends when they get to the party is just silly. This one fell totally flat for me. Not recommended.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 20-Month-Old, who struggles sitting through books of this length asked me to read it a second time. He loved yelling "No Pants!" along with Pablo! As an adult, I enjoyed the fun story, the cute twist at the end, and the engaging illustrations.

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

An accurate picture book about being a parent and telling your child to wear pants (or whatever garment that needs to be worn that day).

Other themes of the book - family (son and father are main characters), parties, pants/getting dressed

Reviewed from a library copy.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, surprising, and sweet - this book had my kids laughing. Though, it's another title to add to the bizarre trend of pantless/bare bottom/nude boys in children's picture books in 2021 (#4 or 5 that I've reviewed this year).

[Adrianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Precocious little boy doesn't want to wear pants, and his dad tries to explain to him that everyone needs to wear pants. Anyone who's ever dealt with a toddler will identify with the dad, so the concept is relatable, but the execution of the book is meh.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked that at the end, he saw that he had to wear no pants for the party, cause his dad thought it was a party to wear pants, but then he realized it was for swimming, and then he said "no pants!" Which I liked reading.