Pilkey is still having entirely too much fun with this popular series, which continues to careen along with nary a whiff of...
Trying to salvage failing grades, George and Harold use their handy 3-D Hypno Ring on termagant teacher Ms. Ribble—and succeed only in creating a supervillain with a medusa-like ’do and a yen to conquer the world with wedgie power.
Using a pair of robot sidekicks and plenty of spray starch, she even overcomes Captain Underpants. Is it curtains (or rather, wedgies) for all of us? Can the redoubtable fourth graders rescue the Waistband Warrior (a.k.a. Principal Krupp) and find a way to save the day? Well, duh. Not, of course, without an epic battle waged in low-budget Flip-O-Rama, plus no fewer than three homemade comics, including an “Origin of Captain Underpants” in which we learn that his home planet of Underpantyworld was destroyed by the . . . wait for it . . . “Starch Ship Enterprize.” As in the previous four episodes, neither the pace nor the funky humor (“Diapers and toilets and poop . . . oh my!”) lets up for a moment. Pilkey is still having entirely too much fun with this popular series, which continues to careen along with nary a whiff of staleness. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-04999-7
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2001
A deadpan lesson on starting over, and the obstacles to be met on the way. An anteater, elephant, turtle, and flamingo propose to start a new life free from the bars of the past. They escape from the zoo, and then, by moving constantly, wearing disguises, and laying low, attempt to avoid the zookeepers hot on their trail. The anteater goes solo, but the other three stick together and head for the border. All appears to be going well until the anteater faints outside a taxidermy shop, the turtle falls helplessly on his back, and the elephant spouts water in the town fountain, garnering unwanted attention and leading to their return to the zoo. Only the flamingo escapes unscathed. Riddle conjures up the action in the gray-and-white misty tones of memory, for this story of derring-do is one, it’s said, that has been passed down through generations of zoo animals. In a text that has something of the terse, gritty narration of old detective stories, and with visual references to Edward Hopper, King Kong, The Grapes of Wrath, and other cultural billboards, this is a book that will have adults pausing to savor the pages as children race to the exciting conclusion. (Picture book. 3-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 13, 1999
ISBN: 0-374-32776-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
Auch (Eggs Mark the Spot, 1996, etc.) offers up an audacious tale starring a unusual band of anthropomorphic creatures. Clara, a young farm duck about to experience her first winter, becomes insatiably curious when she hears the other barnyard animals discussing Christmas. Impatient and determined to solve the mystery surrounding this event, she sets out on her own, which leads to a series of funny encounters, mistaken identities, and even some danger. After a narrow escape from a hungry fox, Clara returns home to find the holiday festivities in full swing. Amidst cows and sheep in tutus, Clara learns that Christmas is about being surrounded by loved ones. Auch’s illustrations provide droll counterpoints to the text: Clara’s mountain at the top of the world is really a haystack in a field, the ferocious beast with large eyes is an abandoned farm vehicle, etc. Those who revel in Auch’s unique brand of quips, jests, and irreverent humor will not be disappointed, and newcomers will just laugh themselves silly. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1524-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1999
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