Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

5 star:		(114)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I just finished reading this to my 3 sons, ages 4, 6, and 8 and the four of us couldn't stop laughing. It's a wonderfully silly story. Even the flip pages were really well done. (I expected them to be lame.) As soon as the boys heard that there was another adventure of Captain Underpants on the way, I was entreated to get it. Definitely. I bought this book because the title was different and because we've read all of the Dragon books and Hallo-weiner and loved them all. We were NOT disappointed.

My son has been running around in a cape since *before* he graduated from diapers to (superhero) underpants, so I picked this book based solely upon the title, and the fact that the hero wore a cape.

This book (I now see) is for 9-12 year-old readers. My son is 5. But we read it straight through (all 122 pages!), and we laughed and laughed! The silly antics of George and Harold, and especially the Amazing Captain Underpants (Tra La Laaaaaa!) made me feel like a fourth-grader again. What better comment on a book than it allowed me to hear my 5-year-old giggle?

My son thought this book was hilarious, and I think most kids would....so I am hesitant to criticize something that encourages kids to read so much. But the fact is that I don't want my son growing up thinking it's "cool" and "fun" to pull pranks on other people like the main characters in this book do; I also want him to understand that people such as principals do need to be shown basic respect, even if one doesn't particularly like them. So because of that I'm not going to get other books in this series. There are tons of other chapter books that are funny and can encourage my son to love reading.

On the positive side, it's fabulous that the two main characters in this book are very creative, making their own comic books (which will encourage creativity in kids who read these books); and, one friend is black and one is white. Because this inter-racial friendship is presented without ever making an issue of it I think it is a positive friendship model for children.

I laughed aloud at the "Amazing Flip-O_Rama" pages. For those of you who don't know, "Flip-O-Rama" is "the cheesy animation technique that lets you animate the action yourself". Don't forget to add your own sound effects. In fact, you'll be laughing so hard you might have trouble with the sound effects, but who cares! This is THE book if you have kids who aren't really into reading. Everybody who sees it at my work (I work in a library) has to pick it up and look at it--and before they know it, they are laughing out loud. Read the others too (read the fourth one, about Evil Professor Poopypants, and you'll be changing your name!).

My son is a typical 8 year old boy. Passing gas is the hit of his life. Up with recess! Down with studies! How can you get through to a kid like this? Let alone get him to want to read?

ANSWER: Buy and read THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!!!!! Just with that name and the cover picture alone, I knew he would be interested. But I never expected him to read it COVER TO COVER, BY HIMSELF, THREE TIMES, IN THE FIRST SITTING!!!!

I took this book with me to my son's gymnastics team practice to praise it up and down to the parents of the boys on his team (quite a few were reluctant readers too). Some parents raised an eyebrow, but as the book made the rounds, and even the toughest to please kid shouted, "GET ME THIS BOOK!!" all the parents were convinced.

My son is now an excellent reader who has moved on to great books, but he returns to Captain Underpants regularly, and I still hear him giggling to his friends, "HAVE I GOT A BOOK FOR YOU!!"

In my dozen years of teaching 2nd grade, there has never been a better book for motivating reluctant boy readers to read than this one. Pilkey's humorous story and illustrations compel the reluctant readers to keep going, and turn the page to see what happens next. The story is delightfully zany and full of humor that is geared for kids. The great thing about Pilkey's writing is that there's also humor geared toward adults that the kids won't have any idea is there!

This is terrific to read-aloud to kids, or to have them read in small-group reading settings.

A winner!

My son is in second grade and although the book was hard for him to read, the story kept him interested and he finished it. He has now read the entire series of Captain Underpants, and his teacher has purchased copies for her room. They may be slightly above a second grade reading level, but making a child WANT to read is the first step to a future of reading.

George Beard and Harold Hutchins were playing around one day when they accidentally hypnotized their unsuspecting principal into the greatest superhero ever, Captain Underpants. If you like superheroes running around in their underwear, kids chasing superheroes in their underwear and jokes that don't make sense but are still funny anyway then this is the right book for you. Follow Captain Underpants, George, and Harold as they get into the most trouble of their lives. These short books will keep you laughing for hours.

Ah, Captain Underpants. The answer to the age old question of what to give boys who hate to read but are being forced to by somebody, whether a teacher or a relative or someone else entirely. There's something about Captain Underpants that is irresistible to a certain kind of boy or girl. I think it may have something to do with the combination of its comic book format, deeply silly plotlines, and the overall packaging. Whatever it is, when I'm at the children's desk of the library in which I work, I often see boys scurrying up to the desk to beg for help locating the "Captain Underpants section". These boys are sometimes accompanied by overly concerned parents who mumble things like, "I guess you can take it out... just so long as you don't own it" under their breath. For my own part, I wanted to see what all the fuss and folderol was about. What is it about Captain Underpants that leaves kids always wanting more? Whence its popularity? The first book that started it all is none other than "The Adventures of Captain Underpants", so I plucked it from a shelf and sat down to give it a good once over. A complete reading took roughly 30 minutes, if that. And my conclusion? Parents, if you want to be worried about what you child is reading, here is not the place to start. For though we could probably talk back and forth for hours about the relative merits of reading every single Captain Underpants creation, the fact of the matter is that the book is harmless fun. This is a popcorn book. It's light and fluffy and delightful. Just the kind of inane gibberish that'll lure kids to reading and keep them there. Its value is in its good natured humor and light-hearted storylines. It's not classy. It's just fun.

Everyone's got a nemesis. Superman has Lex Luthor. Batman has the Riddler. And George and Harold? Well these kids have one definite nemesis. Principal Krupp. For these merry pranksters, Krupp is a dangerous foe. Still, it isn't until the kids pull some elaborate tricks on the elementary school football team that Mr. Krupp catches them red handed. In an effort to escape their punishment, George and Harold order a hypnosis ring via The L'il Wiseguy Novelty Co. The ring is a great success and with it the two boys can get their principal to do whatever they want. When they decide to make him act like a comic book superhero they created, however, Mr. Krupp gets a little too into the act. Suddenly he IS Captain Underpants in the flesh. Worse still, George and Harold are having a lot of difficulty catching him to relieve him of the hypnosis. And meanwhile there are evil robots robbing the city of a powerful crystal and a supervillain named Doctor Diaper to contend with. It's up to Harold and George to defeat the villain, save the day, and keep Mr. Krupp safe. Not easy, but all in the day for a pair of mischief making kids.

I was a little amazed to learn that in the entire series, Captain Underpants is just a hypnotized Mr. Krupp. Who knew? The book is drawn very very simply. Pilkey has done quite a few picture books in his time, the best one perhaps being "Julius" which he illustrated for author Angela Johnson. This particular book utilizes a dozen different techniques to lure the attention of the kiddies. There's a makeshift flip-book section (entitled "Flip-o-Rama") which is very popular and copious illustrations. This is basically a comic book produced in book form with a lot of narration to go with the pictures. And yes, some of the jokes in the book are more than a little infantile. But for crying out loud people, it's a silly kid's book! What do you expect? Hamlet? I had a fun time reading through it, though certainly once was enough for me. Still, I can see the tale's allure.

If you're searching for something that will appeal to that kid who doesn't seem to like any books at all, this is a great place to start. There's underwear and fake doggy poop and itching powder and all sorts of craziness. It's not gonna win a Pulitzer anytime soon. It's not gonna win a Newbery Award anytime soon. But if there's ever a kid's choice award offered, it may well win one of those. A book to be taken with as much whimsy as you have on hand.

George and Harold are pranksters in elementary school. They play lots of dirty tricks on people like changing signs to say gross things. Their biggest prank was hypnotizing their mean principal, Mr. Krupp, into funny looking Captain Underpants. Captain Underpants saved the moon from getting blown up. I like the book because it was very funny and it has a lot of action. I especially liked the flip-o-rama. I think that you should read The Adventures of Captain Underpants because it's a great book.