Customer Reviews

Captain Underpants Boxed Set (Four Books and a Whoopee Cushion)

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Although these books may have been written for boys, girls think they're hysterical, too. I've read all four to my 7-year-old daughter and we had a ball laughing together. Now she can read them herself, but we still keep reading them aloud to share the laughs. Dav Pilkey is incredibly imaginative and funny.

I bought these books on a lark, having seen them in the Scholastic Book Club folder. Pilkey's sense of "childish" outrageousness make them a riot to read. Little boys should love the whole notion of a Captain Underpants and the antics he and the boys engage in. However, much to my surprise, my sister-in-law, a junior in college at the time, had the time of her life reading them while home on winter break. She could not stop laughing. The set ended up being one of her primary--and by far her favorite--Christmas present last year! Jenn was old enough to see the silly antics for what they are: a great diversion for older readers who want to get away from themes, essays, and literary analyses. The value to young readers is immense, as well: characters to whom they can relate, a harmless fantasy tale, humor to which they can relate, and the ultimate conflict of good vs. evil (with the lines nicely blurred--the bad guys aren't always that bad, and the good guys aren't always that good). Great stuff!!

I'm a 4th grade teacher and the mom of an 8-yr. old son. These books make such a hit with little boys! (and the girls in our classroom love them, too.) I use these book to win over kids who claim they hate to read. The author, Dave Pilkey, remembers what it's like to be a kid, with all the forbidden fun of silly, bathroom humor. The word choice and voice in his writing are descriptive and hilarious. Kids adore his work. (He has fun and goofy websites, too.)

Yes, "Captain Underpants" is not great literature, nor does it even begin to approach anything beyond lowbrow humor. It may be that these are reasons that kids who have not found reading fun before like his ridiculous exploits.

How many kids wish they could run around solving the world's problems--or at least, those in the school lunchroom--dressed in cape and armed with a plunger? How many kids may even, as toddlers, have thought they were doing exactly that? I'm sure I'm not the only parent out there with just such photos in the shoeboxes, and I think this is the appeal of these books for kids.

I would agree that once your children are hooked, try and encourage them to move on toward more substantial reading. Then again, I've been known on occasion to read through a pointless novel as escapism; maybe this is escapism for kids!

These are the best books for boys in that "silly" age between 8 and 12. Written from the perspective of 2 naughty but loveable 4th grade boys, everything about these books is fun, especially their comic books about Captain Underpants. It's even more fun when Captain Underpants comes to life - one small problem, though. He's their school principal.

A great series from an author who knows what kids like.

The simplistic manner by which this series of chapter books were written are easily understood by young readers. The plots captivate, and the characters are funny and likeable. These chapter books are recommended for readers 9 and over, but my son, at age 6, has read them all, and can't wait for the next batch to come out. I highly recommend this series!

My son has had a blast reading these books. He has looked forward to reading these books each night - asking if we can squeeze in a few more chapters than the night before. At first I was worried that the antics by the two boys were a bad influence on my son (especially at the tender age of 6), but I soon realized that his finding great humor and adventure in books is positive and that his love for books will only grow when he's having so much fun reading. While he reads aloud to his dad and me, his vocabulary is increasing, he's learning the art of inflection and we're having fun while we're at it. I only hope we continue to find books he enjoys so much!

I gave the boxed set to my 8 year old nephew and he loved them. His mother said he put down the gameboy and didn't want anything to do with it until he'd read and re-read these books!

My son and I enjoy the Dav Pilkey/Captain Underpants series very much. Mr. Pilkey has captured this part of childhood and I can see how kids can relate to his silliness. They weren't meant to be educational or full of meaning. Just fun and a chance to get away and enjoy a crazy little book. My son studies hard and is an honor roll student and every now and then, a Dav Pilkey book provides a little escape from school work. As my title says, they are very funny, silly and right up my 9-year-old son's alley. This kind of humor is common to children this age and even though it can be a little obnoxious and gross, this kind of humor is harmless and as I said earlier, common to kids of this age group. Ms. Barbara from New York, you need to lighten up a little and enjoy a little gross humor once in a while. My son is a polite, charming little boy, and once in a while he, his dad and I like to cut up in the privacy of our home! These books are great and I recommend them to all children.

I believe it was Darwin, or possibly Frank Stallone who said 'Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Captain Underpants is proof.

Pilkey has seemed to accomplish something that Chekov tried for years and failed to achieve with 'Professor Poopy Pants': To capture the haunted Weltschmertz of the K-8 set.

'Poopy' answers eternal questions about honor amidst harsh circumstances more than 'Uncle Vanya' ever did.

Namely, how a man in his underpants can weather the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune without losing his dignity. 'Poop' addresses this and more.

I think when we look back on literature in years to come, we'll come to appreciate the message in Pilkey's work concerning existential angst in the modern age, as well as how to avoid using too much starch in our laundry.

'Professor Poopypants', 'Captain Underpants and the Talking Toilet', and 'Captain Underpants and the Incredibly Naughty Lunch Ladies from Outer Space' will remain stark reminders of the existential strife we all struggle to overcome on a daily basis.

- Jim Stiene...