Captain Underpants- a Closer Look

First of all, yes, I'm an adult, and yes, I'm writing a review on a book series for children about a grown man in his underpants.

Back in 1997, there was a distinct lack of books featuring super heroes fighting crime in their underwear. Author Dav Pilkey planned on changing that. Captain Underpants tells the story of a grouchy, angry elementary school principal named Mr. Krupp who wants nothing more than to outlaw any form of fun. George and Harold, two good-hearted yet mischievous boys, want things to be different. With the help of a 3D Hypno-Ring, they transform their stick-in-the-mud principal into their wacky superhero creation Captain Underpants! Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned, and their new creation heads off to fight crime and get the boys in some really sticky situations.

I'll start by warning parents right-out: this series is juvenile. Very juvenile. Poop jokes, fart jokes, pee jokes, booger jokes, the works. If you don't want your children reading that sort of thing, it's highly suggested that you steer clear of this series. However, while there is plenty of potty humor, it balances out with very clever jokes; quite often you'll find characters breaking the fourth wall, realizing they're actually in a children's book series. Nothing is safe from Pilkey's parodies, from Harry Potter to Trix cereal commercials (my favorite line in the entire series is "Silly Rabbi! Tricks are for kids!"). The books make fun of books in general, having some chapters that are only 2 words long, or chapter titles that take up a quarter of the page. Really, the fun never stops from the moment you crack open the book to the moment the book ends. You really have to read it to yourself to see the various types of jokes the books contain.