Wendi Aarons's tongue-in-cheek Socks is a lightweight and frothy salute to "the easiest gift on the planet." Her goofy prose is perfectly partnered with Kadna Anda's charming illustrations; the result is an ideal gift book for fashion-forward friends and loved ones. The majority of the book identifies various types of socks and the person most likely to wear them. Most spreads feature a pithy description on one page with a charming illustration on the opposite. Next to the illustration of a thermal sock, Aarons asks: "Why is this a great person to marry?" The answer: "Because they'll never get cold feet." Describing the type of person who wears "grippy socks," Aarons writes: "This is a truly grounded person. Mostly because they're stuck to the ground."
Aarons (I'm Wearing Tunics Now) devises alternative uses for socks, such as a "DIY prison weapon" (just add a bar of soap) and a "coffee mug cozy." She imagines postcards sent by missing socks, socks looking for a mate by writing personal ads, and famous socks in history, including Amelia Earhart's: "Good news: not lost in the dryer. Bad news: lost somewhere over the Atlantic." There are socks in the movies, such as The Shawsock Redemption, Raiders of the Lost Sock and Jurassic Sock. There's also a fun illustration of a cassette containing a sock playlist: "Jailhouse Sock," "I'm Too Sexy for My Socks," "I Want Your Socks," "We Will Sock You" and more. This punny and funny impulse item is the perfect s(t)ocking stuffer for any time of the year. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant