From: Steven Engelfried <sengelfried>
Date: Sat, 4 May 2002 12:25:09 -0700

It's tempting to dismiss the "Captain Underpants" craze as just the result of using
"Wedgie Woman" and "Poopypants" in the title, but I think Pilkey's satiric skills raise the books beyond that. Anyone could make up a character named Professor Poopypants, but only Pilkey would use him as a take off on the standard mad scientist, make his silly name the root cause of his evil, and have him develop a fiendish plot that threatens to turn everyone's name silly. There's real creativity in some (not all) of his humor, and in the way his plots develop, and he consistently comes up with fresh ideas to make fun of (the kids need some fabric softener to save the day...the only store open is "We Sell Everything But Fabric Softener"). And he also manages to poke fun at the super hero genre, and at the same time appeal to the kids who like the genre, which a good satirist should be able to do. His earlier books, "Kat Kong" and "Dogzilla" also hit the mark perfectly. They're funny enough on their own, and even funnier to the older kids who get more of the jokes that relate to the monster movies they make fun of.

Steven Engelfried, Children's Division Librarian Beaverton City Library 12375 SW 5th Street Beaverton, OR 97005 503R6%99 sengelfried at ci.beaverton.or.us
Received on Sat 04 May 2002 02:25:09 PM CDT