Children’s Book Award Blog Tour- Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
It’s the second day of the blog tour celebrating our shortlisted Books for Younger Children category! Today we welcome both Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown to the blog answering our questions about their shortlisted book, Creepy Pair of Underwear, Published with Simon & Schuster.
How does it feel to be nominated for the Children’s Book Award? This is the only book award that is voted on solely by children across the UK.
Aaron: Amazing! My favorite awards and honors are the ones where the kids pick the books that win. There’s no better feeling than to have the kids you write for tell you that they think your book is the best!
Peter: I’m thrilled that Creepy Pair of Underwear has been nominated for the Children’s Book Award! Are we allowed to bribe the children voting on this award? Because I have a huge stash of chocolate that I am willing to part with. I’m being told bribes are forbidden, so in that case Aaron Reynolds and I will just hope for the best.
Tell us more about your book.
Aaron: I never planned to write this book. CREEPY CARROTS was a big hit and the publisher wanted a great follow-up, but I was unsure. I didn’t want to do another CREEPY book without it being as good as the first one, so I knew the story had to come first before I could agree. I didn’t have a story idea for another one for a long while, until a kid told me that I needed to write a book about scary underpants. I knew that was it!
Peter: Aaron Reynolds is the magnificent maniac who dreamed up the spooky story of Jasper Rabbit being haunted by his favorite pair of underpants…and I’m glad he did because it was a total blast to bring that story to life in pictures.
What do you hope that readers will take from reading your book?
Aaron: That books are FUN! That reading is WORTHWHILE! I don’t write books to impart some deep message. I write the kinds of stories that I hope will turn non-readers into readers and turn readers into voracious readers.
Peter: This book is a delicate balance of creepy and funny, and I hope it helps readers realize that books can stir up all kinds of surprising feelings.
Where do you find ideas and inspiration for your books?
Aaron: So many kids ask this question and the answer is really lame. I have no idea. I have a very odd imagination and I think the key to being a writer is paying attention to your imagination, no matter how odd. That means, if you concoct a story about a bunny who is terrified of his own underpants, well, then you follow along!
Peter: My own stories are often inspired by nature, so it’s fantastic that I also get to illustrate Aaron’s creepy stories which are like nothing I could ever imagine on my own.
Are you working on anything exciting that you can tell us about?
Aaron: Jasper Rabbit has a brand new chapter book series called JASPER RABBIT’S CREEPY TALES. He is the host of this series and the stand-alone stories that he presents in this series take the idea of strange and creepy to an entirely new level.
Peter: I’m working on several top secret projects that I cannot talk about. I’ve already said too much.
What advice would you give children keen to be an author or illustrator in the future?
Aaron: Read. Whatever type of book you love, read tons of it. Nothing helps you identify good writing and bad writing better than reading. Nothing stimulates the imagination quite like reading. Nothing fills you up with power vocabulary, great plot ideas, and lessons about pacing, suspense, and characters besides reading!
Peter: Write a lot, draw a lot, read a lot, and look at lots of different art. That’s what I did and it worked out pretty well.
Children across the UK are encouraged to get involved. Copies of the books can be purchased at a discount from our partner supplier Heath Books here https://www.heathbooks.co.uk/federation-of-childrens-book-groups-childrens-book-award-2026/ and online voting will be opened on Monday 23rd March here https://fcbg.org.uk/childrens-book-award-2026/
The deadline for voting is 12 noon on Friday 8th May and category winners and the overall winner of the most popular children’s book published in 2025 will be announced at a ceremony in Birmingham on 13th June, attended by representatives from all our local groups and livestreamed on the FCBG YouTube channel.
