Gross potty humor, funny pranks will hook reluctant readers.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 7+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
George and Harold hypnotize Mr. Krupp without his consent and compel him to act like various animals and disrobe down to his underwear for laughs. George, Harold, and Mr. Krupp (in his hypnotized state as Captain Underpants) run from the police. Cartoon violence ensues: explosions; Captain Underpants is snagged by a truck by his cape and driven down the street; an adult crashes through a door. Slingshots, wood planks used as bats to beat up robots, someone is bound by rope. A "Laser-Matic 2000" machine blows up. Dr. Diaper threatens the heroes with a futuristic gun.
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May appeal to reluctant readers and get them interested in other books. May also help parents set boundaries with their kids about their own expectations for appropriate language and humor.
Positive Messages
very little
Pursue your creative passions. Enjoy a vivid imagination, especially with a good friend at your side. On the other hand, iffy decisions such as prank-pulling or hypnotizing an adult without his consent and forcing him to embarrass himself are played for laughs.
Positive Role Models
very little
George and Harold value their friendship with each other. They do fight "evil" -- in this case, a diaper-wearing scientist. But in a very concerning scene, they hypnotize Mr. Krupp without his consent and force him to do "funny" things like cluck like a chicken. They tell him to strip down to his underwear and remove his toupée as they laugh at how he becomes a real-life version of the superhero they designed, Captain Underpants. Overall, adults are exaggeratedly shown as lazy, foolish, and cruel, such as when Mr. Krupp blackmails his students for having caught their pranks on tape.
Diverse Representations
very little
In the author bio, Pilkey mentions his ADHD and dyslexia diagnosis as a child, which brings a unique perspective to the book. George is Black and Harold is White. But most other characters are light-skinned, and race is never discussed. Furthermore, Pilkey leans on humor that isn't inclusive, such as visual gags related to Mr. Krupp's belly bulging out of his pants, baldness, short stature, and/or old age for low-hanging laughs.
Parents need to know that The Adventures of Captain Underpants has bathroom humor that many kids might find funny. It may be a good fit for reluctant readers, but be aware that it's the start of a huge series that your kids may get hooked on. Cartoon illustrations enhance borderline mean-spirited jokes and cartoonish action that includes explosions, killer robots, and physical beatings. One gag in particular goes too far: George and Harold hypnotize their school principal without his consent and make him act like an animal and strip down to just his underwear as they laugh uproariously at him. Both Captain Underpants and Dr. Diaper are depicted shirtless wearing only underwear.
the main characters are terribly disrespectful to the adults. and the reader is made to laugh at this behavior. for new readers this book is filled with poor sentences. this book is popular just as candy is more popular than veggies. so sure give them tons of candy because that is easier.
These books are visually stimulating and interesting to your children. Unfortunately the storyline consists of a fantastic amount of graphic violence. The story promotes violence, bullying, prank playing and blackmail. The solutions to all of these issues according to this book is more violence.
This is a terrible guide to a developing child, for those that are looking for a way to get your child interested in reading there are many graphic novels and storybooks that are visually stimulating and do not condone and endorse violence. It's the format that attracts the child, not the story.
The book does have some witty, political and social commentary, all of which is way above the head of the target demographic for this book.
What's the Story?
Two fourth grade pranksters, George and Harold, use hypnosis to trick their principal into thinking he's a crime-fighting hero in THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS. But Captain Underpants breaks loose and wreaks havoc, the police chasing after him as he (and George and Harold) encounter killer robots and a diabolical Dr. Diaper who wants to destroy the world. Dav Pilkey's energetic illustrations create a comic book feel, as pictures enrich the text and often contain their own jokes. One whole chapter, for example, is a visual pun on "graphic violence." In another, readers use Pilkey's fun "Flip-O-Rama" technique to animate a cartoon battle by flipping pages back and forth.
While no one would mistake this for fine literature, playful and engaging artwork by writer-illustrator Pilkey just might hook a reluctant reader. But The Adventures of Captain Underpants is full of borderline mean jokes, puns, bathroom humor, and disrespectful behavior, so if you or your kids can't stand the thought of using a piece of "fake doggy doo-doo" to fight a diaper-wearing mad scientist, then this book isn't for them.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about different senses of humor. Some might find the jokes in The Adventures of Captain Underpants inappropriate for younger kids. What do you think? What makes a joke appropriate or not?
This book is part of a series of other titles. Now that you've read the first one, do you want to read more? What makes them fun to read? Is it the silly writing or the artwork, or both?
The plot hinges on taking revenge on someone who made George and Harold's lives miserable. Does this give the boys the right to hypnotize someone into clucking like a chicken and stripping down to their underwear for laughs? If not, what's a better response to an authority figure who's abusing their power?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Captain Underpants, Book 1
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
