Great For Him, But Not My Thing

I have kept a list of some books that I wanted to write about, ones that either we have read together or that Isaac has read on his own.  So I thought I would write a few short posts to catch us up over the next few days.

The Christmas before last we bought Isaac the full set of Captain Underpants books.  I have said before that I refuse to read these, and I still do.  There is really no need to.  Dav Pilkey has created a character that is both appealing to boys and revolting to adults.  I choose not to read things that revolt me.

So, why did I buy them for Isaac?  Simple --  because he will read them.  A few weeks before we bought them, Isaac and I drove to Charlotte for the Color Run.  The drive takes over an hour, especially on a Friday afternoon, and Isaac spent the entire drive reading one of these books.  He would proudly update me on how far he had gotten, what page or chapter he was on, throughout the trip.

This was a quarter of the way through second grade and Isaac was starting to read chapter books on his own, but preferred to stick with easier books.  I fully support kids continuing to read picture books after they have gained the stamina, ability and fluency to read chapter books.  But getting over that threshold of transitioning between a 28 page book and an over 50 page book is a big jump for some kids and Isaac was balking at making it.  To find a book that he would sit and read like that was wonderful to see.  And it boosted his confidence.  So, yes, I bought him a whole set of books that I will never read.

He has gone back and forth between reading those and reading other series.  His rising confidence gave him the courage to try other chapter books.  The last Captain Underpants book was finished around Christmas this year, 12 months after we got them.  Isaac made sure we knew that he had finished.

In October, I invited students to decorate a pumpkin as their favorite book character to display in the school library.  Being the librarian's son, Isaac had to do one.  Being my son, he chose a character that would require little artistic talent.  He made a Captain Underpants pumpkin and I displayed it proudly.

Look Out!

Isaac received some books in the mail from his Gammy a few weeks ago (actually more like months -- I'm a little behind in my blogging) that make him laugh out loud. Dav Pilkey of Captain Underpants fame (which I refuse to read despite the popularity with my students) has also written and illustrated a few other books that have nothing to do with a character's undergarments.

Kat Kong and Dogzilla are Pilkey's interpretation of the classic "horror" flicks King Kong and Godzilla. They feature his own animals in the title roles and mice as the frantic citizens trying to save their towns. They also contain groan inducing puns and wordplay.

The illustrations are collages which use manipulated photographs and painting. The cat and the dog loom threateningly over the mice in both stories, but the mice prevail in the end. The wordplay is mostly well beyond Isaac's understanding, but he finds the pictures of the animals hilarious, and he does get some of the jokes.

We have fun reading these books to him. He giggles merrily as we read, and though we cringe at some of the silly puns, we smile at his sheer enjoyment of the story.

Dav Pilkey knows what boys like, whether it is a super-hero in underpants or a dog terrorizing a city full of mice. And as his website warns, "some material may be too goofy for grown-ups."