The All New Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book O' Fun 2 by Dav Pilkey

I didn't know what to expect from this graphic novel series beloved by elementary aged boys all over the country. I read a special edition, so there were lots of extras included: jokes, Mad Libs, mazes, a word find, and how-to-draws. With all of this extra stuff, there wasn't a whole lot of room for an actual story--which I was fine with.

I know that part of the appeal (and controversy) of this super hero is the gross potty talk, fart jokes, and boogers, but there wasn't a whole lot of depth to the character of Captain Underpants (surprise surprise!). Out of the entire story, he only makes an appearance at the end and has to actually be rescued from the Hairy Pottys by Diaper Baby and Diaper Dog.

I did think it was clever how the drawings look like a kid from your class could have drawn them. I also liked the Flip-O-Ramas--unexpected and kind of funny. Part of the controversy over these graphic novels has to do with the incorrect grammar and spelling. I think it is interesting how the story seems to be in revision mode--it doesn't seem ready for publication to me. Parents and others are upset about the books selling so well and being riddled with errors--reinforcing to kids that spelling and grammar are not important because this published author gets away with being incorrect...

I have to agree with parents and other educators here--the spelling, cross out marks, and incorrect grammar got on my nerves. I guess it is the perfectionist in me, because each spelling made me want to get out my green pen and help this student really say what he means--except he has made lots of money with these books and certainly doesn't want me to help "fix" them.

These books are a mainstay in almost any elementary school library. Students (especially boys) love them and can't get enough of them! I'm sure the appeal of a shorter book with lots of pictures and potty talk is very alluring for many young readers. As an educator, I would not use these books for read alouds because there just isn't a whole lot going on for discussions, etc. I don't mind them being in my classroom library (I mean they do get discouraged readers to enjoy reading) but would encourage those that tend to only read them to branch out to other genres and topics. Get used to seeing the round boy with white underpants and a red scarf--I think these books are here to stay.