Little did Dav Pilkey know that in 1997, when his first Captain Underpants book was published, it would go on to be the powerhouse and international behemoth that it is today.
Since 1997, twelve Captain Underpants books have been released (from 1997 to 2015), along with an epic movie produced by DreamWorks in 2017, and an animated series, also produced by DreamWorks, which ran for three seasons between 2018 and 2020.
Captain Underpants also played a pivotal role in the launch of the immensely popular spin-off series, Dog Man. The first Dog Man book debuted in 2016, following the release of the final Captain Underpants book. Since then, Dog Man has emerged as a powerhouse, boasting twelve books, a Dog Man TV series, and an upcoming movie. Similarly, like its predecessor, Dog Man has spawned its own spin-off series, known as Cat Kid Comic Club, which, at the time of writing, comprises five published books.
This book follows George Beard and Harold Hutchins, the brains behind Tree House Comix, INC. This comic book publishing house is responsible for a plethora of amazing superheroes including: Dog Man, Timmy the Talking Toilet, and the Amazing Cow Lady. But the greatest superhero that they ever came up with was the Amazing Captain Underpants. While other superheroes merely appear to wear their underwear on the outside of their suits, Captain Underpants actually dons his underwear as his suit.
One day we follow George and Harold to the big football game. We see a series of bizarre pranks unfold only to discover it was them all along. We aren’t the only ones who discovered that these pranks were done by George and Harold. Principal Krupp also knows. He caught their prankish deeds all on film.
Instead of suspending the boys or calling their parents, Krupp decides he’d rather blackmail them. If the boys refuse to follow his orders, he will show the football team the tape and let the boys try to explain why ruining their big game was funny.
George and Harold reluctantly comply with Krupp's demands for weeks. They agree to refrain from laughing, goofing around, pulling pranks, smiling, washing his car, or drawing Captain Underpants in exchange for not handing over the tape to the football team. However, their situation changes when their secret weapon arrives. With this newfound tool, they are able to outsmart Principal Krupp and, as an added bonus, bring Captain Underpants to life, quite literally.
Dav Pilkey, with his hilarious talent, has delivered one of the most popular chapter books for elementary-grade readers of all time.
His writing is top-tier and hilarious. His characters are relatable. Any young reader will be able to see themselves or know someone like George, Harold, or even Principal Krupp. The story is simple, and young readers should have no issues following the story.
Pilkey’s illustrations are simple, classic late 1990s style illustrations. All the illustrations in the book are in black and white. The only colored illustrations are on the front and back covers.
I appreciate the simplicity of all his illustrations in this book. They facilitate young fans in their attempts to recreate an illustration from the pages or to create their own fan art. It's less intimidating compared to other, more elaborate books aimed at elementary students, and that's the appeal. It empowers young illustrators to believe that they too can create their own books one day, too.
As an additional illustration feature, Pilkey introduces what he refers to as "Flip-O-Rama" pages. These interactive animation pages allow the reader to grab the corner of the page and flip it back and forth rapidly, showcasing the characters in animated action during the thrilling climax of the book.
This was a novel idea in 1997. In fact, it’s still a novel idea, and one that books published today should do better to incorporate.
If you liked this book, check out our "The Book vs. The Movie" blog to see how it compares to the movie!
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