Warning! Irreverence ahead! No one would mistake this for fine literature--THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS is full of corny jokes, bad puns, bathroom humor, and rowdy, disrespectful behavior. If your kids can't stand the thought of two boys "with a silly streak a mile long" using a piece of "fake doggy doo doo" to fight a diaper-wearing mad scientist, this book isn't for them. It's for kids who love a good practical joke and won't stop telling knock-knock jokes, and who'd rather be running around outside than reading.

Dav Pilkey's wacky black-and-white illustrations appear on every page, creating a comic-book feel. The pictures aren't just there to decorate the story; they enrich and expand the text, and often contain their own jokes. One whole chapter is a visual pun on "graphic violence": Readers use Flip-O-Rama to animate a cartoon battle by flipping the pages back and forth.

Reading about the antics of Harold and George will make kids feel as if they're getting away with something mischievous. They'll be laughing out loud while reading as fast as they can.