The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun - Softcover

Comics! Puzzles! Jokes! Laffs! Flip-O-Rama! Stickers! Sound too good to be true? Captain Underpants (The Adventures of Captain Underpants: An Epic Novel, Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants, etc.) is all about making readers happy, especially in this "really cheesy" (hey, the captain said it, not me) activity book starring everyone's favorite wedgie-powered superhero and his fourth-grade creators, George and Harold. Learn how to write your very own comic book, solve word-find puzzles, find your way out of Doctor Diaper's Devastating Diaper of Doom maze, pick up a few prank tips, make flip-o-rama pictures, complete the Cafeteria Ladies' Crazy Crossword, read all about Hairy Potty, the evil nuclear waste-enhanced toilet with werewolf fangs, and so much more. The exquisitely juvenile humor and (intentionally) unsophisticated artwork will have even reluctant readers clamoring for more from the very talented and irreverent Dav Pilkey. Pass the final exam and you can send away for your P.H.D. (Pilkey Honorary Diploma), make-it-yourself graduation cap with real artificial tassels, and a membership card. All three Terrifying Name Change-O-Charts 2000 are included, as well as a sheet of full-color stickers featuring Turbo Toilet, jockey-clad Captain Underpants, and the snickering troublemakers, George and Harold. (Ages 7 to 10) --Emilie Coulter

NOTES (from Pilkey.com):

"Soon after Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants came out, my publisher asked me to make another book. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to create a new epic novel, so I suggested an activity book.

We were on a very tight deadline, and there was not enough time for me to make a dummy for the book. So my publisher did not know what they were going to be publishing until they saw the finished art.

The day before my deadline, I mailed in all the art for the book, which included a 33-page comic book called "Hairy Potty and the Underwear of Justice".

My publisher's legal team was not happy that I was poking fun at one of the biggest series of books ever written, so they asked me to make significant changes to my comic.

I said, "no".

Then they insisted.

I said "no".

Then they demanded!

I said "no".

Finally, they said, "if you don't make these changes, we won't publish your book!"

I said "fine by me". Then I wished them all a happy "Banned Books Week", and unplugged my phone for a month.

In the end, my comic book was published exactly the way I wrote it, with no changes.

Sometimes you just have to hold your ground."-- Dav Pilkey



Fun Facts:

1. It's quite common for artists to "butt heads" with their publishers. Fortunately for Dav, the good people at Scholastic, Inc. have been incredibly kind and supportive throughout the years, and experiences like the one mentioned above (which really DID happen during Banned Books Week in 2000) are very few and far between.

2. You can celebrate free speech by reading a banned book! Ask your parents to help you pick out something juicy! Read it together... talk about it... it's fun! Find out more by visiting this website: ala.org/bbooks/.

3. Looking for some great banned books? I recommend The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and The Stupids (the series) by Harry Allard and James Marshall. Aah, the classics!

4. In 2013, the #1 most challenged book series (according to the American Library Association) was: Captain Underpants (for offensive language, and being unsuited for the age group).

5. Although some people complain about the "offensive language" in the Captain Underpants books, the series doesn't contain any profanity. Not ONE swear word! Seriously. The closest thing to an actual swear word is the word "darn" (or "darned"). Admittedly, these two words are used quite frequently throughout the series.

6. Even librarians are unsure what the "unsuited for age group" complaint is all about. The only thing that might be considered too advanced for the age group is the vocabulary, which is often much higher than what is typically found in books for ages 7 to 10.

7. Although the title clearly says "Extra-Crunchy", this book does not stay very crisp in milk.