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Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks a Lot
I’m sure you’ve all heard about the Captain Underpants series, right? Well, the newest 12th novel of the series is out, and I LOVE it! I really like this story because it has a lot of humor; it is really action-packed, and I love the characters. The main characters are George, Harold, Mr. Meaner, and Captain Underpants. Their characters make the story really fun and interesting to read. The characters are very funny, in particular Captain Underpants and the teachers. If you see Mr. Meaner at all, watch out! He might spray you with a little something . . .
Not to spoil the story, but here is the main gist of what goes on. A planet just like Earth, but called Smart Earth, explodes (Read the book to find out how and why . . .), and a small piece flies out and lands on Earth, right in front of Mr. Meaner (the notorious gym teacher), and let’s just say things don’t work out very well! After EATING the piece of Smart Earth, he becomes really smart, obviously. He invents a spray called Rid-o-Kid 2000 and bad things happen, very bad things.
Dav Pilkey is a great author and really makes this story come to life. He does this by being very descriptive with his writing, and he uses this thing called Flip-O-Rama. Flip-O-Rama is a special comic book type of animated pictures. By flipping pages back and forth a certain way, Flip-O-Rama™ makes the pictures look really cool and animated.
I would highly recommend for all of you to read this great series, Captain Underpants, if you want to get lost in a great sea of awesomeness. Read a sneak peek here.
Check out the cover of Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey’s new graphic novel!
George and Harold have created a new hero who digs into deception, claws after crooks, and rolls over robbers. He’s half man, half dog, and all cop! This heroic hound has a real nose for justice. But can this crime-biting canine resist the call of the wild to answer the call of duty?
Get ready to howl with laughter. You can read Dog Man on August 30!
I'm sure you'll all be thrilled to know that I'm in a mad rush today, which means I shall attempt brevity (stop laughing - I can hear you!), which means a quicker than usual read for you :)
Just a quick note - I still haven't solved the link list problem over at my new wordpress blog, so although today's post is located there as well, the link list is here.
Title: The Complete Adventures Of Big Dog And Little Dog Written & Illustrated By: Dav Pilkey Harcourt, June 2003, Fiction
Suitable For Ages: publisher says 4-8, I'd say 3-6
Themes/Topics: friendship, humor
Opening: "Big Dog and Little Dog are hungry. Big Dog and Little Dog want food."
Brief Synopsis: (from the jacket) "Big Dog is ready for some fun! Little Dog is ready too. Join these irresistible puppy pals on five zippy adventures, together for the first time in one cozy picture book collection."
Why I Like This Book: You may be familiar with Dav Pilkey from The Stupids or Captain Underpants. This is a different side of him - simple and sweet with gentle humor. These two dog friends do everything together (including get in trouble!) and always look out for each other. These five stories were originally published separately but are now all together in one book which gives them the feel of George And Martha or Frog And Toad, but with a lot less text. Simple and fun, I know from experience that these stories appeal to very young readers. And also, as many of you may have figured out, I like dogs :)
So there you have it! Wasn't that the shortest post ever?
PPBF bloggers, please leave your links in the list below!
Oh, but one more thing before we all go off to enjoy everyone else's PPBF picks and our weekends! Due to the incredible generosity of the people in the kidlit community, the prizes for the Valentiny Contest are rolling in! So be sure and check the contest post for updates - the prizes will knock your socks off and you will definitely want to work on your entries this weekend as a result!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
0 Comments on Perfect Picture Book Friday - The Complete Adventures Of Big Dog And Little Dog as of 1/22/2016 3:01:00 AM
Such a treat! So I’m finally reading Steve Sheikin’s latest nonfiction work, Most Dangerous, and then out of the blue he sends me the latest in his “Walking and Talking” series. Dav Pilkey, Mr. Captain Underpants himself, is today’s subject. Fun Pilkey Fact You Never Knew: He has exquisite taste in cakes. True fact!
Thanks once again to Steve for allowing me to showcase his work. For previous entries in the “Walking and Talking” series, please be sure to check out the following:
For Banned Books Week this year, we combed through hundreds of records of challenged materials reported by Oregon schools and libraries over the past 35 years. In the process, we came across some surprising, amusing, and, at times, weirdly specific arguments for banning books. Here are 10 particularly strange reasons that demonstrate how absurd it [...]
0 Comments on 10 Strange Reasons for Banning a Book as of 9/25/2015 12:32:00 PM
Tra-la-laa! The team at Scholastic have created a video showcasing the Captain Underpants Song.
The video embedded above features George Beard, Harold Hutchins, and the superhero alter ego of Mr. Krupp—what do you think? Click here to watch Dav Pilkey talk about how reading gives you super powers while drawing both Super Diaper Baby and Captain Underpants.
My sweet little boys somehow grew into teenagers, so we have to take a trip back in time to talk about the five books that are special to my family ...
Read the rest of this post
Those of you who have children at secondary school, or are teachers or librarians, may have come across a new(ish) scheme called Accelerated Reader.
Administered in the UK by Rennaissance Learning, Accelerated Reader is a system that grades books, suggests appropriate reading levels and then monitors pupils' reading by giving them a multiple choice quiz on the book they've just read. The system analyses the quiz responses to show teachers whether the pupil has read the book, and what aspects of it they found difficult (e.g., vocabulary, or higher level comprehension).
If they fly through a couple of quizes, they are rewarded with a higher reading band. They can also collect points according to how long the book was that they read - leading to a total score of words read, and the accolade of 'word millionaire' when they get to the magic 1,000,000 words. They are however expected to stay within their bands - books read outside them, although allowed, do not count for rewards and incentives. For a slower reader, expected to progress at a certain number of books per term, or for a competitive reader, determined to get to the millionaire mark first, this more or less prohibits reading outside the given bands.
According to the National Literacy Trust, the use of Accelerated Reader in schools does actually get more pupils reading, and increases the proportion of pupils in the difficult teenage years who say they enjoy reading, will admit to a favourite book, and read widely across genres.
My daughter's school has just started using the scheme and the number of pupils taking books out of the school library has tripled compared with the same time last year. It's hard to argue with that kind of boost to pupils' interest in books and there really does seem to be a noticeable encouragement to read through the motivation of online quizes and rewards, particularly for boys.
What interests me, though, is the banding structure and the rationale behind it. AR uses a computer programme which scans the books and then analyses them for vocabulary and syntax (proportion of complex sentences). The range of banding for the books in a secondary school library is roughly from about 3 to about 11 or 12 for the very hardest books (for a rough idea of what these mean - R.L. Stine's Goosebumps books are about 3; Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov has an AR level of 11.1 )
AR level 3.0
AR level 11.1
More complex sentences and more advanced vocabulary result in a higher banding: and this more or less seems to work in terms of what one thinks of as appropriate progression - nobody is capable of reading Karamazov before they're capable of reading Goosebumps.
But there are two things I think are seriously problematic with the underlying assumptions of this scheme.
The first is a prescription that I think is wrong-headed: that we progress in reading in a straight line - that when we are capable of reading Dostoevsky, we are 'beyond' R.L. Stine. In fact, I think there are plenty of people who might go back and forth between the two and get different pleasures out of each. AR schemes do talk about letting pupils read 'below' their level as occasional 'comfort reads' - but this is presented as a kind of reversion. It's a bit like the idea that we all sometimes need to watch crap telly and eat donuts. It won't enrich our lives but it will give us some 'down-time'. For me, the idea that you are 'slumming it' by reading the 'easier' book is a pernicious one. The lower-level books are not just donuts, they may have all sorts of fabulous and enriching things to say to us as readers - they just do it in a different, though not necessarily less crafted or effective, way.
The second assumption is that the 'straight line' of reading progression is entirely about syntax and vocabulary. And this is where the truly jaw-dropping anomalies of AR banding become apparent. Using the AR website to check the relative banding of books for her, I was amazed to discover that Alan Garner's Owl Service is banded at 3.7. By contrast, Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants is 4.3. And Captain Underpants and the Revolting Radioacive Robo-Boxers (presumably because of the number of multi-syllable words) is a whopping 5.3.
AR level 4.3
AR level 3.7
Bear in mind that the AR scheme suggests pupils are given relatively narrow bands to choose from - my daughter was started on 4.5–4.9. She was too high for The Owl Service, although she couldn't yet read The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, at 6.3. If she waited to be able to read the Weirdstone, however, she would be too high to read its sequel, The Moon of Gomrath, which is 5.4.
Philip Reeve's Here Lies Arthur (a fabulous retelling of the Arthur legend from the point of view of a young girl co-opted into helping the bard Merlin, who is presented as a kind of early 'spin-doctor') is 5.6, so she'd reach that well before she was able to read Reeves' knockabout books for younger readers, the Buster Bayliss series (Custardfinger is rated 6.3).
Meanwhile, she is lucky that her favourite author, Marcus Sedgwick, uses relatively simple sentences, as that means that many of his books are in her range (My Swordhand is Singing, a complex tale of vampires set in medieval Eastern Europe, is 4.9). However, she's missed out on his Floodland, which is 3.9, and it won't be long before she's progressed to the point where all of Sedgwick's novels will have to be 'comfort reads', as Kevin-Crossley Holland's magnificent Arthur books already are (4.2–4.3). Never mind - because she can always stretch herself with Daisy Meadows; Kate the Royal Wedding Fairy is 5.4.
AR level 5.4
AR level 5.0
I could go on - but here is one final one to ponder. Debi Gliori's Pure Dead Brilliant is a whopping 7.5. This means you won't be able to progress to it till you are too high for The Lord of The Rings (6.1), and in fact you'd be in the same ball-park band as The Silmarillion at 7.9.
The computer analysis used to grade AR books clearly doesn't read them - it processes them as strings of words. The more important aspects of books - the ideas, the plot twists, the characters, the emotions, the metaphorical language - all of this is entirely missed. Yet this is most of what makes a book enjoyable, memorable, heart-breaking, what touches or thrills you as a reader. I am immensely saddened by the idea that whole swathes of teenagers are going to flick past The Owl Service and fail to pick it off the shelf of the school library because it has a black sticker on it (easy) rather than green or purple (harder, higher, more worthy).
Accelerated Reader is beloved of Ofsted, because it produces quantifiable results and signs of 'progress'. It certainly seems to be getting more pupils reading, and excited about getting their rewards and stickers - but it's encouraging at the same time a very quantitative approach to what reading is, and how we should do it. According to the National Literacy Trust survey, an extra 7% of pupils using the scheme are prepared to say they enjoy reading compared with those that don't use it. I wonder if that's an achievement worth celebrating if 100% of those pupils now think of reading as a goal-oriented activity with 'difficult' vocabulary being the measure of value?
Cecilia Busby writes fantasy adventures for children aged 7-12 as C.J. Busby. Her latest book, Dragon Amber, was published in September by Templar.
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston & illustrated by Rich Deas “Looky!” says a silly turkey swinging from a vine. Gobble gobble wibble wobble. Whoops! Now there are nine.” Girls and boys will gobble up this hilarious counting story about ten goofy turkeys roller-skating on a fence, doing a noodle dance, and more! Give …
A veritable plethora of dancing librarians greet you this weekend. Now I’ll be the first to say that if you’re going to have librarians or library patrons dancing in a video then the video has to be pretty darn impressive in some way. Life’s too short otherwise. But thing is, these folks are pretty extraordinary. Take, for example, this one from the Texas A&M University libraries as a kind of orientation to their services. Sure, the song’s been overdone but at least they gave it a bit of class:
Thanks to mom for the link.
Then there’s Nashville. I just had the pleasure of speaking alongside my co-author Julie Danielson (of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast fame) at the Southern Festival of the Book. While there I had time enough to catch one quick sneaky peek at their library. It’s a lucky thing I didn’t see any of their librarians or I was have fangirled out on them after watching this video. I’m a sucker for a talented hand puppet artist:
Then, in other news, old timey footage. The deeply amusing Lemony Snicket video. The YOU CHOOSE THE MYSTERY campaign has begun. Beguiled? Entranced? Confounded? You will be:
Start following the mystery here. It’s like that old Choose Your Own Adventure series except, y’know. Less disembowling.
While I am indeed the mother of a 3-year-old I’ll confess that when it comes to contemporary children’s television programming I’m more liable to pull out the classic Electric Company / Sesame Street / School House Rock DVDs than turn on something from the 21st century. Still, I’ve succumbed to the lures of Daniel Tiger (extemporized upon here) but I’ve only dipped a toe in current Sesame Street schtoof. Maybe that’s why I was so shocked when I saw today’s video. Cookie has always spoofed contemporary film (Chariots of Fur, anyone?) but rarely so in-depth. Wowza.
While not strictly children’s book related, regarding the book as object is certainly of any interest to those parents, teachers, and librarians dealing with kids who put their books through the paces physically. Plus Chronicle does the best videos so I’d be amiss in not posting this:
Neil Numberman (with whom I am in competition for Best Alliterative Picture Book Author Name… and he’s winning) takes on the arduous process of creating a picture book cover and turns it into time lapse art. Behold:
And while Banned Books Week may have gone, as long as banning continues so too will the need for remarkably sane (and fun) little videos like this one from Dav Pilkey calling for just a little common sense:
And finally, for today’s off-topic video, Michael Arndt turned my attention to this little beauty. It’s The Missing Scarf, a multiple award winning short film that feels, at first anyway, like a picture book. Stick with it. As it continues you start to really get into the feel (and George Takei should, insofar as I can tell, narrate everything in this world from here on in). I should warn some of you that in spite of its fluffy feel, the ending would prove a bit bleak for the younger kids so be wary and warned and enjoy!
The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression will celebrate Banned Books Week from September 21st to September 27th.
The organization plans to shine a spotlight on graphic novels and comics. Judith Platt, chair of the Banned Books Week National Committee, had this statement in a press release: “This year we spotlight graphic novels because, despite their serious literary merit and popularity as a genre, they are often subject to censorship.”
We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s Indie Bestseller List for the week ending September 13, 2014–a sneak peek at the books everybody will be talking about next month.
(Debuted at #1 in Hardcover Fiction) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchel: “Following a terrible fight with her mother over her boyfriend, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her family and her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: A sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as ‘the radio people,’ Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena.” (September 2014)
I’m a chick who loves Star Wars. I’m not ashamed of the fact. Feminist icon Princess Leia? I can get behind that (gold bikini or no). So when I saw a galley for that AMAZING Star Wars children’s book coming out with art from the original concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, I was blown away. Here, Tony DiTerlizzi (who did the writing in the book) talks about the film and the art. Geeks unite!
I love that he mentions that moment with the two suns. For me, that was undoubtedly the most iconic scene in the original film. I just loved the realism of it. I am SO reading this to my kids. P.S. For a fun time read the rants about the “Luke, I am your father” line. Or, better yet, don’t.
Now until about a day ago when my niece did it, I didn’t actually know what the Ice Bucket Challenge was. Dav Pilkey takes it on using Flip-o-Rama. Good man.
Ball’s in your court now, CeCe.
I think it’s safe to say that I have never seen an author promote a cinematic adaptation of their award winning book as much as I’ve seen Ms. Lois Lowry talk up the latest film of The Giver. Here she does it again:
How famous is J.K. Rowling? So famous that when she writes an incidental character, NBC News is willing to report on that character getting her own song. According to Salon this is an original song written for Pottermore starring Celestina Warbeck, Molly Weasley’s favorite singer:
And speaking of all things Potter, the thing about learning that there’s a documentary out there called Mudbloods is that you can’t believe you hadn’t seen a film of that name before. It’s an awfully good idea to make a movie about the rise of the real world Quiddich movement. It’s not the first Harry Potter documentary of course but it’s a cute idea. Here’s the trailer:
Man. It would weird to be J.K. Rowling and see this, wouldn’t it? Here’s some additional info.
A little me stuff. I conducted a talk with Mara Rockliff and Eliza Wheeler for Bibliocommons in honor of their latest book The Grudge Keeper. It was recorded, but rather than show our lovely faces the video shows some slides of what we’re discussing. In case you’ve an interest you can take a gander at it. A lot of talking about the process of writing picture books can be found here:
As for the off-topic video, this one’s been making the rounds. It’s one of those videos where you go, “Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Ooooooh!”
Thanks to Steve Bird for the link!
2 Comments on Video Sunday: “Luke, I Am Your Father” (in a manner of speaking), last added: 8/24/2014
Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie led the most challenged books of the year list this year.
This is according to the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books, compiled annually by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF). The list explores books that have received the most complaints. Check it out:
The OIF collects reports on book challenges from librarians, teachers, concerned individuals and press reports. A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that a book or other material be restricted or removed because of its content or appropriateness. In 2013, the OIF received hundreds of reports on attempts to remove or restrict materials from school curricula and library bookshelves.
We’ve got the whole list after the jump. continued…
I have a sister. Did you know that? Tis true. She’s not a librarian and her interest in children’s literature pretty much begins and ends with me, which is probably why she hasn’t come up before. One thing she is? Crafty. Crafty as all get out. And the kicker is that she’s just started this new blog called The How To, How Hard, and How Much to Your Creative Products. Here’s how she describes it:
What if there was a blog out there that took Pinterest ideas and showed people how to do it, how much time it took, how much money was spent, and had a level of expertise (1-5). Maybe even sell the final product. Is this something people would read? Has it already been done? How could I rope guys into doing it (other than if it involved mustaches and bacon)? I’ve never blogged before but I feel like it might be helpful, especially since the holiday season is quickly approaching. People could even send me recommendations and I could do those as well.
And make it she has. Amongst other things she has a wide range of Halloween ideas including spider cookies, 5 minute ideas, and my personal favorite, the cleaver cupcakes. In fact, if you could just repin those cupcakes onto your Pinterest boards she’d be mighty grateful (there’s a contest she’s entering them into). But of special interest to the blog (aside from outright nepotism) was her recent posting on literary jewelry where she turned a book of mine into a bracelet. Nicely done, l’il sis.
I attended the Society of Illustrators event the other day (did you know the place is free on Tuesdays?!) and the New York Times Best Illustrated results are on the cusp of an announcement soon. Both lists are chosen by artists as well as librarian types, and so one could consider them the form with which artists are allowed to voice their opinions about the best of the year (just as the National Book Awards are how authors talk about writing). Still, there are those that have disliked the Caldecott from the outset because it is decided not by artists but librarians. Robin Smith recently dug up a 1999 interview with Barry Moser voicing just such a concern. A hot little discussion then emerged in the Horn Book comments. Go! See!
Brian Biggs + Jon Scieszka + 6 way auction = interesting.
Our first shout-out! And from Tomie dePaola, no less. On The Official Tomie dePaola Blog you will find a lovely mention of the upcoming Wild Things: Acts of Mischief in Children’s Literature as penned by myself, Jules Danielson, and Peter Sieruta. Woot!
I think a fair number of us have seen Business Insider’s Most Famous Book Set in Every State map by this point, but I’d just like to mention that what pleases me the most about it is the fact that they included children’s books as well as adult. Six children’s and one YA novel by my count.
And since we’re on an interesting title kick, let’s throw out another one. True or False? Multicultural Books Don’t Sell. We’ve all heard that argument before. Now an actual honest-to-god bookseller tackles the question. You may normally know Elizabeth Bluemle from the ShelfTalker blog at PW, but here she’s guest talking at Lee & Low. Cleverly, she specifies whether or not we are talking about how they don’t sell to kids or how they don’t sell to adults. Without giving anything away, let me just say that her experiences mirror my own in the library.
In other press release news, I am shocked and appalled that I wasn’t aware of this until now. I mean, I knew that Kate Beaton, the genius behind Hark, A Vagrant, was working on children’s books. What I did not know was how close to fruition my dream of shelving her in my children’s sections truly was. The Wired blog Underwire, of all places, was the one with the scoop when they interviewed Ms. Beaton. She discusses the book, which contains her most famous creation (the fat pony) and a princess. Says she about princesses in general, “. . . for little girls historically [princesses] are the only people like them who had any power at all. It’s not just oh, princes and dresses. It’s also, here’s a person with agency. Is she just someone who wants a pretty dress and prince? Or is she a warrior living in a battle kingdom? I think it just depends on how you depict what a princess is.” I think we know the direction Ms. Beaton will go in. And I waaaant it. Thanks to Seth Fishman for the link.
As slogans go, this might be one of my favorites: “Kill time. Make history”. How do you mean? Well, NYPL is looking for a few good bored folks. Say they, “The New York Public Library is training computers how to recognize building shapes and other information from old city maps. Help us clean up the data so that it can be used in research, teaching and civic hacking.” Sometimes I just love my workplace.
Me stuff time. Or rather, stuff I’m doing around and about the world that you might like to attend. You see, on November 6th I’ll be interviewing legendary graphic novelist Paul Pope at 4pm at the Mulberry Street library branch here in NYC. If you are unfamiliar with Mr. Pope’s name, all you really need to know is that he’s a three time Eisner Award winning artist who wrote the recent GN Battling Boy and whose work is currently on display at the Society of Illustrators on their second floor (which just means I get to tell you again that you can get in for free on Tuesdays). This event will also be free. If you’ve ever wondered what the “Mick Jagger of graphic novels” would look like, you’ll find out soon enough.
Also going on in NYC, they have transferred Allegra Kent’s Ballerina Swanto the stage for kids. Makes perfect sense when you put it that way.
This is utterly delightful. Recently Picture Book Month’s Education Consultant Marcie Colleen contacted me with this awesome PDF entitled Picture Book Month Teacher’s Guide: Why Picture Books Belong in Our Classrooms. It was so useful, in fact, that I tapped her for an upcoming Children’s Literary Salon about the Core Curriculum. More about that later, though . . .
My reaction to finding out that Henry Selick was going to direct Adam Gidwitz’s A Tale Dark and Grimm was simple. The best possible person is doing the best possible thing and is making everyone happy in the process. My sole concern? Selick’s going live action on this. What was the last live action film he directed? Monkeybone, you say? Ruh-roh. Thanks to PW Children’s Bookshelf for the link.
Daily Image:
Remember that nice Marcie Colleen I mentioned earlier with her Picture Book Month Teacher’s Guide? Well, turns out she’s engaged to Jonathan Lopes, the Senior Production Manager at Little, Brown. And amongst the man’s many talents is the fact that he occasionally sculpts with LEGOs. Recently Hachette “held their Gallery Project, showcasing the talents of their employees.” Here’s what Jonathan made.
He’s 6-feet-tall and all LEGO, baby. Many thanks to Marcie Colleen for the link!
3 Comments on Fusenews: Pretty sneaky, sis., last added: 10/29/2013
Dav Pilkey will publish two new Captain Underpants books with Scholastic. The new books will come out in August 2014 and August 2015. Here’s more Pilkey news from the release:
Scholastic will publish newly re-illustrated editions of Pilkey’s seven-book Ricky Ricotta series, featuring a mouse and his big robot friend, with all new full-color art by bestselling illustrator Dan Santat. Scholastic will reissue Ricky Ricotta novels #1 through #7 starting in May 2014—plus two brand new Ricky Ricotta books (Ricky Ricotta #8 and #9) in Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 respectively.
The deal was negotiated with Scholastic Trade president Ellie Berger by two Writers House agents. Amy Berkower represented Dav Pilkey and Jodi Reamer represented Dan Santat.
The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged library books of the year. We’ve linked to free samples of all the books on the list–follow the links below to read these controversial books yourself.
In California, a school committee voted to remove the Stephen King novella “Different Seasons” from Rocklin High School library shelves. The lone dissenter on that committee was 17-year-old student Amanda Wong, who continued to fight the ban and spoke against the decision at a later school board meeting. After hearing Wong’s concerns that the removal “opens a door to censoring other materials,” the district superintendent overturned the committee’s decision and returned the book to the Rocklin High School library’s collection.
He's back. To all Captain Underpants fans (which my 8-year-old nephew numbers among), fear no more. The ninth novel in the series is here. I read the first book, and while I can certainly see its appeal, the potty humor proved a bit too much for yours truly. That said, I can't deny the power it exerts on young readers, especially boys. Dav Pilkey speaks their language. To read an interview with the Pasha of Poop, click here.
In the article, Pilkey mentions that it was always a dream of his to inspire kids so that "they'd staple some pages together, grab some pencils, and make their own comics." He's certainly done that, and my nephew is proof. He's informed me that since first grade he's written a total of thirteen comic books and he's halfway through his first novel. Pretty impressive for someone who goes to school ten months of the year.
A couple of weeks ago, he and my niece visited and I took them to a used bookstore that recently opened up in my town. The store has an extensive collection of books for kids and the owner is a joy, both knowledgable and helpful. My nephew questioned her extensively on her Dav Pilkey books, but he already owned or had read all she had. As he looked around for other books, I found one on how to write superhero comics. (He's a huge Marvel fan.) Unfortunately, it was aimed at teenagers. I showed it to him anyway and remarked that one day he might like to own it. At this, he drew himself up and in a withering voice said, "I already am a writer." Then he reminded me of his output, the thirteen comic books and novel-in-progress. Chastened, I returned the book to the shelf.
Later, I thought how right he was. While I don't deny the benefits of how-to books and classes (I teach a writing course), having belief in your abilities and just getting on and doing it are all you really need. I write, therefore I'm a writer. Thank you, Jack!
0 Comments on Hold onto Your Shorts! as of 1/1/1900
Super Diaper Baby 2 (The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers) by Dav Pilkey
Review by Chris Singer
About the author:
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated several popular award-winning books for children. The Adventures of Captain Underpants, which has nearly one million copies in print, was an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists and a Publishers Weekly “Cuffie” Award winner for the Funniest Book of the Year; Dog Breath was awarded the California Young Reader Medal; The Paperboy was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Pilkey also illustrated the IRA-CBC Children’s Choice Award-winning Dumb Bunnies books.
About the book:
George and Harold (the co-stars of the enormously popular Captain Underpants series) are in big trouble again! Their mean principal, Mr. Krupp, has had it with their comic books. But the boys aren’t giving up, and they decide to create an all-new epic novel about a subject they’ve never tackled before!
Dr. Dilbert Dinkle started his career as an ordinary, everyday evil genius/inventor/bank robber. But when he awakens one day transformed into a walking, talking puddle of pee, he vows to destroy every toilet in town. Will the devious Dr. Dinkle and his conniving cat, Petey, ruin restrooms for the rest of us? Or could this be a job for the death-defying, dynamic duo of Super Diaper Baby and Diaper Dog?
Watch the trailer:
My take on the book:
If you are familiar with Dav Pilkey, you already know his books are huge hits with young readers, especially reluctant readers. In this 2nd book in the Super Diaper Series, fans will once again be treated to lots of laughs and silliness. I love Pilkey’s artwork and the Flip-O-Rama’s cracked me up as well. I have no doubt kids will love this book and will be asking for more!
Still, I can’t help being torn. Torn because I feel a bit like a stuffy old snobby elitist as I’m thinking about this, but I just can’t get over the intenshinal spelling and grammatical errors. Maybe it’s the former English teacher in me or just the Scrabble player in me, but damn I can’t get over it. I’d personally have a hard time sharing this book with my daughter because of it. If that makes me a prude or a square, so be it.
However, I also understand that for some kids, reading doesn’t come
10 Comments on Review & Giveaway: Super Diaper Baby 2 (The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers), last added: 7/17/2011
Did you see the news where one of these books was BANNED? Because it said the words . . . get ready . . . poo poo head. Shocking! (In Texas, saw it on msnbc.)
What the heck is wrong with people?
Melissa
yayoi chiba said, on 7/15/2011 7:51:00 AM
This is book is NOT for RELUCTANT READERS!! Dav Pilkey wrote this book to inspire CREATIVITY in kids. He has raised the bar for society. The bad guys do the name calling and get punished. The good guys value their family and friendships. Pilkey does this in such a subtle way that the average person seems to miss the point and assume it is just about potty humor. If you get a chance, you should see Sir Ken Robinson’s video on You Tube about education and creativity. Sir Ken Robinson is part of TED. Also, Pilkey has a touching video called, “Super Diaper Baby 2: Behind the Blankies”. It explains why he writes this book with misspellings, etc.
Chris Singer said, on 7/15/2011 8:44:00 AM
Pilkey’s books are widely known as being aimed at reluctant readers. And why would you say it’s not? I didn’t even mention the potty humor because I did get it thank you very much. I think I explained also why I don’t like the misspellings. It’s my opinion, okay. Thanks for reading though and commenting.
yayoi chiba said, on 7/15/2011 9:00:00 AM
This book is NOT for RELUCTANT READERS. Dav Pilkey said he wrote this book to inspire CREATIVITY in kids. Pilkey has raised the bar for society in such a subtle way that the average person misses the point and assumes the book is about potty humor. The bad guys in his books do all the name calling and eventually get punished. The good guys value their family and friendships. If you get a chance you should see Pilkey’s touching video, “Super Diaper Baby 2: Behind the Blankies”, where he explains why he uses misspellings. Also, you should watch Sir Ken Robinson on You Tube. Sir Ken Robinson is a university professor, educator and director of TED. He may change your views about education and creativity. He is also an entertaining speaker.
yayoi chiba said, on 7/15/2011 9:30:00 AM
I apologize if I seemed to attack your opinion about the misspellings. I appreciate your honest opinion but was hoping to enlighten you about the reasons Pilkey purposefully misspells words in these graphic novels which are supposed to be written by 2 fourth grade boys. He explains the reasons in his video. It mostly comes from his experiences as a child and adults feeling they know what is best for their kids. Just wanted people to realize that sometimes trying to “help” a child may actually harm them. A mother of an autistic child was against Pilkey’s books until she found her son reading Pilkey’s books. The autistic child read with confidence because of the intentional misspellings. It completely changed her opinion about these books and it has changed her son’s life.
I guess I get annoyed when the term “reluctant readers” gets thrown around. Some books are made to inspire advanced readers. I know of many advanced readers who are huge fans of Pilkey’s and he has inspired them to become creative thinkers. We need kids to look outside the box. Maybe as parents we can encourage our kids to draw and write their own stories.
Chris Singer said, on 7/15/2011 11:02:00 AM
I understand what you’re saying and am aware of Ken Robinson and the autistic parent as well. I’m aware of the Pilkey video as well. Like I said, I’d be thrilled if I had a child who hated to read bring ANY book home that they wanted to read. I personally though struggle w/ the misspellings and grammar and am going to be honest about it when I write a review. I don’t write reviews to placate publishers or authors. I write what I think about the book, regardless of what everyone else might think of it. Also, my site is geared towards dads. I try and give them honest assessments of the books so they know what they’re getting into. Again, I thank you for reading.
yayoi chiba said, on 7/15/2011 8:06:00 PM
Since reading literature is supposed to enhance one’s mind and enable one to discover new ideas and experiences, I have one last question: If you had an autistic child or perhaps one that is considered a genius, and both children responded positively to books for the first time due to Pilkey’s method of writing, would you still be bothered by the misspellings?
Thanks for the discussion.
Lora1967 said, on 7/16/2011 12:27:00 PM
I would love to win these books for the Jr High school. THanks for the chance
Eric Van Raepenbusch said, on 7/16/2011 7:54:00 PM
Chris,
I am not interested in book giveaway. Because Super Diaper Baby 2 was the first book my daughter requested to go to Barnes and Noble to buy! She had a gift card from her Girl Scout cookies sales to pay for the book too.
I haven’t read it all yet myself. I just like seeing my daughter excited about a book!
By the way, Great discussion above!
angie said, on 7/17/2011 3:01:00 PM
would love to win these my daughter loves these books and I would love to add them to her collection [email protected]
Our good buddy Sammer is really burning up the blogline this summer. (Summer--burning up? Oh, haaaa, haaaa, haaaa!!! I'm too funny for words!!) Anyway, let's see what he wants to tell us about today:
I've read over and over and over and am reading now...THE CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS SERIES!!!!! By Dav Pilkey.SNAP!!!!Mr.Krup is now....CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!!!George,Harold and Captain Underpants go through many adventures fighting off evil people including The Wicked Wedgie Woman,The Bionic Booger Boy,Professor Pippy P. Poopypants,The Talking Toilets,The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space and The Purple Potty People. Each are great books and if you read these books and like them, you might want to try RICKY RICOTTA'S MIGHTY ROBOT also by Dav Pilkey.There are EIGHT books total.I encourage you to read them.
Thanks, Sammer! Yep, Dav Pilkey seems to be a real favorite with guys. We can't keep the Captain Underpants or Ricky Ricotta books on our shelves because someone is always checking them out. Do we have any other Dav Pilkey fans out there? Let us hear from you!!
4 Comments on Sammer Tells Us About Captain Underpants, last added: 6/27/2011
Sure I have been reading this great series called the Temiere series. It is about this British officer who fights in the Napoleonic wars. The story begins when his ship captures a French frigate and finds a rare dragon egg. The officer is chosen as the one to train the dragon. Therefore, he finds his sea legs being swept from under his feet. He choses to become an aviator and quit the navy. His future is further unclear.
Ook and Gluk are two cave kids in 500,001 BC who like to annoy their evil chief. After defeating the chief, the big trouble begins because the chief finds that one of his descendants has built a time portal from 2222 AD and is using it to steal the prehistoric world of all the natural resources that no longer exist in the future.
Ook and Gluk and their baby dinosaur, Lily, go to the future to defeat them and end up learning the ways of kung-fu.
Lots of great lessons from martial arts here--
The mind is stronger than the flesh. It can defeat any opponent, no matter how strong.
The best fighters do not show their anger. The wisest warrior wins without a battle.
AND! Lots of flip-o-rama action-- 9 different flip-o-ramas.
Now, as this was "written" by George and Harold the spelling and grammar are awful (not helped by the fact that half the characters speak caveman). I don't mind this in concept. If we fight for realism in our books, I think we need to fight for it at all ages-- younger kids don't spell perfectly and don't speak perfectly. I have no problem with books aimed at younger kids mirroring this reality. Especially because I think most kids get it-- the know it's wrong, but at the same time it's reassuring that not everyone is a perfect speller.
But, as an adult reader, the spelling is a little annoying and sometimes I had to think about a word before realizing what it was supposed to be (reading out loud helps with this.) You can see an inside peek here!
More than anything though, as fun as this book was, and as much as the kids I know like it, the kids have only one question, and it's a question I share-- WHEN DO WE GET NEW CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS?!
My daughter loves the Captain Underpants books and she wants to read this one, too. I don't like it when kids books have tons of intentional misspellings, but this does sound like a fun story.
The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future by Dav Pilkey
Reviewed by: Chris Singer
About the author:
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated numerous popular, award-winning books for children, including the Captain Underpants and Dumb Bunnies series; Dog Breath, winner of the California Young Reader Medal; and The Paperboy, a Caldecott Honor Book. He lives with his wife in the Pacific Northwest. Visit him online at www.pilkey.com
About the book:
In this all-new graphic novel, George Beard and Harold Hutchins present the sensational saga of two silly caveboys named Ook and Gluk. Ook and Gluk have a pretty awesome life growing up together in Caveland, Ohio, in 500,001 BC—even though they’re always getting in trouble with their nasty leader, Big Chief Goppernopper. But Ook and Gluk’s idyllic life takes a turn for the terrible when an evil corporation from the future invades their quiet, prehistoric town. When Ook, Gluk, and their little dinosaur pal, Lily, are pulled through a time portal to the year 2222 AD, they discover that the world of the future is even worse than the devastated one they came from. Fortunately, they find a friend in Master Wong, a martial arts instructor who trains them in the ways of kung fu, so that they may one day return home and make things right again. And, like the other Captain Underpants books, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future features the world’s cheesiest animation technology, “Flip-O-Rama,” in every chapter.
My take on the book:
If you are familiar with Dav Pilkey, you already know his books are huge hits with reluctant readers. Those readers and other fans of the Captain Underpants series are going to have a lot of fun with Ook and Gluk as well. It’s funny and silly and even parents will laugh if they’re reading along with their kids. I love Pilkey’s artwork and the Flip-O-Rama’s crack me up as well. There’s even some good lessons in the story such as preserving natural resources and I definitely enjoyed the symbolism behind Ook and Gluk’s battle with the “evil corporation.”
Overall though, I have to admit being a little torn. I have a hard time not believing the intentional misspellings in the book aren’t going to be problematic for young readers or kids
5 Comments on Book Review & Giveaway: Ook and Gluk, last added: 11/17/2010
So glad to read your opinions were mixed!!! I absolutely hated this book for those same reasons. I could barely finish it!
Don’t enter me in the contest – just glad to hear I’m not the only fussy reader.
Chris Singer said, on 11/16/2010 9:46:00 PM
Thanks Melissa – This review took me days to finish because like I said in the review, I was torn. I think I was pretty generous with it actually now that I think about it. I love Scholastic though and that Tony Baloney book is a steal as part of the giveaway.
Mike Dyson said, on 11/17/2010 6:00:00 AM
Chris- This is a good review. I love Dav Pilkey, but would rather read about your honest opinion of the book.
Chris Singer said, on 11/17/2010 6:20:00 AM
Thanks Mike! I think if you’re a fan already, you’ll like this book and you already know what to expect. Plus parents need to know what to expect if they’ve never read Dav Pilkey before.
Kevin said, on 11/17/2010 9:00:00 AM
I agree with you, Chris. I don’t like children’s books with intentional misspelling. That alone would keep my away from the book, but the name calling drives a nail on this books coffin. Kevin´s last blog ..Q & A With The Potty Pro Teri Crane
Thanksgiving is a celebration of abundance and there is a virtual cornucopia of children’s books about this holiday. You can find a Thanksgiving themed book featuring every child’s favorite character from Amelia Bedelia to Scooby Doo. Bookstore shelves are laden with picture books about the first Thanksgiving as well as ones about today’s holiday tradition. There even seems to be a whole genre of entertaining books about turkeys on the run.
So with the Thanksgiving spread overflowing, what will you look for in books for your children? What you choose to serve your children helps create the tradition we wish to carry on. If you want a book that teaches history, it can be tricky. That harvest feast of 1621 has inspired many an author to use it as a tableau and many an illustrator has romanticized and created beautifully idealized images. Take care to choose books that are accurate and respectful towards everyone at that table. Rather than choosing books for their familiar story and warm illustrations, take time to read a book through carefully by yourself before sharing it with your child. Guidance offered here may inform your choice: http://www.oyate.org.
Today, the Thanksgiving tradition encompasses many things. For some, it is a time to travel, a time to gather with family and friends and feast. It is a time to watch a football game, attend a school play or a parade. Above all, the holiday is about giving thanks. This makes it a wonderful opportunity to evoke gratitude in children. The list includes several books to encourage this. It also offers educational books that aim to be culturally sensitive and historically accurate. The other selections are simply unique or just plain silly—usually about a turkey in trouble.
Happy Thanksgiving! May your holiday be filled with gratitude, good will, and good books.
What to expect: Hardscrabble Harvest uses rollicking verse and Ipcar’s distinctive illustrations to tell a charming story about the running battle between a farm family and the mischievous animals that plunder their fields. Crows peck at freshly sown seeds, ducks eat new strawberry plants, rabbits nibble on tender lettuces, and raccoons dine on ears of ripening corn. All summer long the young farmer and his wife are ha
Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future
The second graphic novel by
George Beard and Harold Hutchins
the creators of
Captain Underpants
(along with Dav Pilkey)
Blue Sky Press / Scholastic 2010
Those bad boys of hypnotic mischief are back (finally!) with an epic 175 page tale of time-traveling cavemen who learn kung-fu and save the planet, both then and in the future. Really, do you need to
0 Comments on The Adventures of Ook and Gluk as of 8/20/2010 11:18:00 AM
Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks a Lot
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The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression will celebrate Banned Books Week from September 21st to September 27th.
We’ve collected the books debuting on Indiebound’s 
Captain Underpants by 
The American Library Association (ALA) has released its annual list of the most frequently challenged library books of the year. We’ve linked to free samples of all the books on the list–follow the links below to read these controversial books yourself.
Great comic interview! Btw, you spelled Steve’s last name wrong,
Whoops! So I did! Thanks for that.
Another great comic from the incredible Mr. Sheinkin.
Can’t wait for the upcoming MT Anderson conversation!
More proof that Sheinkin is a genius in all that he does. The visual joke on the sandwich board is pitch-perfect.
Great interview!
(On a side note, I just finished MOST DANGEROUS. What an exciting, compelling read! I’m giving it to my 90-year old dad for Christmas. shhhhhhhh)
50 rejections! Well, I’m glad he kept going. Plus, love Steve Sheinkin’s books!