Module 15: Cencorship Issues

Module 15/SLIS5420

The Adventures of Captain Underpants

By  Dav Piley

Summary:

The adventures of Captain Underpants is a chapterbook and comic book roled into one following the imagination of two students George and Harold as the battle the mean principal Mr. Krupp.  Similar to Wiley Coyote and the ACME box, they get a ring with special powers that hypnotizes their principal changes into Captain Underpants.  The rest of the book follows the adventures and hilarious things that happen with the boys and Captain Underpants

Citation:

Pilkey, D. (1997). The adventures of Captain Underpants: An epic novel. New York: Blue Sky Press

Beyond and Between:

The Adventures of Captain Underpants is one book of a series of books following Captain Underpants.  It is an easy mix between print and comic book type style storytelling.  As a story it is hilarious and very funny, however the pictures of Captain Underpants, the disobedience of the two boys in the story, and the sometime crude humor has been known to cause offense.  Additionally, some parents have seen this book as inappropriate for its age group.  Following the reading level and comic like illustrations the book comes off as an easy reader book for second to fourth graders.  It would be a big draw to boys and reluctant readers because of the style and format of the story.  Additionally, while the book does encourage acting out, it also shows an expression of imagination which for a child is a good thing to cultivate.  Over all I would have this book on my shelves at the library.

Reviews:

Booklist

(3) New ed. (1997). Captain Underpants series. This edition of book one in the series now features watercolor blues, greens, yellows, purples, and reds. For the most part, the color doesn't compete for attention with the text. That said, hardly an inch of blank space remains, especially in the comics that George and Harold draw. The effect is now more splashy Sunday comics than sketchy drawn-by-kids serial. Review 11/13. erg

Younger Fiction. (2014, Spring). The Horn Book Guide to Children's and Young Adult Books, 25, 58-65.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4--Pilkey plays with words and pictures, providing great entertainment. The story is immediately engaging--two fourth-grade boys who write comic books and who love to pull pranks find themselves in big trouble. Mean Mr. Krupp, their principal, videotapes George and Harold setting up their stunts and threatens to expose them. The boys' luck changes when they send for a 3-D Hypno-Ring and hypnotize Krupp, turning him into Captain Underpants, their own superhero creation. Later, Pilkey includes several pages of flip-o-ramas that animate the action. The simple black-and-white illustrations on every page furnish comic-strip appeal. The cover features Captain Underpants resplendent in white briefs, on top of a tall building. This book will fly off the shelves.

Hopf, M. M. (1997). Preschool to grade 4: Fiction. School Library Journal, 43(12), 99.

Suggested Uses:

When it comes to using this book in a library, especially because of its sensitive nature, I don’t know if I’d do a book talk on it.  This is something I’d have to think about.  However, I would use this book for a humor genre display and/or a display of books that “Your neighbors enjoy”.  In this way, I would be sharing the book in the library with other similar books.