A friend asked me for book recommendations for her great nephew who is the same age as Michael and Daniel. I consulted with the boys. They had somewhat different recommendations but top of the list for both was Captain Underpants. I reported this back. My friend told the boy’s mother who said, “No thank you, my son has a reading age of 12 and doesn’t need to be reading about farts and poo.” I was sorry all round – sorry for the little boy and sorry for my friend and sorry for me. The boys inquired whether the Captain Underpants had gone down well and I told them my tale of woe. Michael pointed out anxiously that one of the books which features Dr. Poopy Pants has very little farting but I felt that he was missing the point. He took it very much to heart. The next time he saw my friend, he took her aside and whispered in her ear, “I can give you my Captain Underpants books and you can smuggle them to your nephew.”
Tell me, do you have small boys in your house? Where do you stand on the question of the wonderfulness of Captain Underpants? A google search tells me that the internet is somewhat divided.
You’re never too old to read about farts and poo – witness Swift.
Ta la la.. our five year old loves Captain Underpants. We read it at bedtime .
Professor Pippy Pee Pee Poopypants is my favourite character. The wall of silly names is just genius!
I have three small boys in my house and poo is probably the most used word. We are so proud!
When I was about 7 my parents bought me Fungus the Bogyeman and then decided not to give it to me as it was so revolting and they thought a bit childish (I’d just read my way through the whole Narnia series in a week). I stumbled across it and sat down and read the whole thing utterly transfixed and delighted and was horrified that it was almost withheld from me. I’ve not read the Captain Underpants books but I’m with Michael – could one not be concealed somehow under cover of the complete works of Proust? Think of it as an act of charity…
I am heartened. I am also going to try to get hold of those bogeyman books..