Tra-lalaa! Here We Go Again!

My children discovered Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books when my son was in second grade. Cuddling together on the sofa, I read the stories to the kids, complete with vocal effects. I often found myself laughing out loud at Pilkey’s more subtle expressions of humor and getting surprised glares from the kids. They got the potty jokes, the superhero flying about in his underwear battling lunch ladies and purple potties. I enjoyed the chapter headings, the fast pacing that poked fun at the reader’s expectations, and the constant, somewhat crazed use of alliteration.

The eighth Captain Underpants was published in 2006, and I was excited when I discovered that the ninth book, Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers, was about to come out in August. I got the book from netgalley and started to read.

Pilkey’s omniscient narrator is never far from the action, watching, tongue in cheek, as the plot progresses through expected and unexpected twists. He starts telling a story and then remembers: “But before I can tell you that story, I have to tell you this story.” Pilkey used time travel in the series before, but in this one he goes back in time to tell the story of how Harold and George met and got to be friends. Time travel is the main source of tension in this book -- the narrator tells us that Tippy’s jump back in time is going to create the famous Banana Cream Pie Paradox. If you have not heard of this famous paradox, do not be alarmed. All is explained, complete with illustrations.

Like the rest of the series, the ninth installment contains George and Harold’s comic books, filled with age-appropriate illustrations and spelling mistakes. There’s also the usual amount of slapstick comedy and potty humor. I personally love it. I wanted more of the chapter headings that I enjoyed in the previous books. In this book some titles just signaled the passage of the days, but I can see how this style works better for a book about the unreliability of time.

I am not fond of back stories, and I was not crazy at first about following the difficulties of George and Harold as kindergarteners, but as the book wound up to its dramatic end, I realized that Pilkey created the perfect Banana Cream Pie Paradox. I cannot wait for the tenth book to come out. I want to know how he’s going to get his characters out of the perfectly funny and ridiculously insane mess in which he left them.

People refer to the Captain Underpants series as a good choice for reluctant readers. I agree, but I think there’s something in them for everyone to enjoy. Even, or perhaps especially, for adults. If you do not laugh enough in your daily life, pick one of these up, remember what it was like to be a child, and get a good hearty chuckle at some of those potty jokes. It's healthy for you.


Do you have an age-inappropriate book that makes you laugh?

You Think That's Funny?

Many years ago, in a land far away (Israel), a friend told me: “You managed to develop a sense of humor no one but you understands.” At the time, I felt quite proud of this, as I believed my sense of humor manifested my much superior intelligence and abilities. The world was just not good enough to understand my sense of humor. Now, however, it occurs to me that what he said could be taken as less than a compliment. Had he implied that I have no sense of humor?

This is a frightening thought. Could it be true? Could I, in fact, be lacking in this important mental power? Am I innately unfunny? Can I still be taught?

This morning I found Ashley Clark’s blog post on how to make readers giggle. I took a look at her four-point advice, hoping that perhaps she could help me soar beyond elephant jokes and into full-potential giggly fun.

Not surprisingly, I found Clark’s tips funny and promising. She starts with “the more specific you are, the funnier something becomes.” I won’t quote the full example she gives, but it’s funny! I also won’t quote just a part of it, because, you know, it’s the specifics that make it so much fun. However, here’s a really good detail elephant joke. Q: What's grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow? A: An elephant rolling down a hill with a daisy in its mouth!

“Establish an expectation for the reader, and then surprise them.” I can think of a good example to this in my Anna Mara novel, but it would be a spoiler, so I can’t tell you that. But here’s a perfect expectation-and-surprise elephant joke. Q: How do you fit five elephants into a VW Bug? A: Two in front and three in the back.

Clark’s third point frightened me: “your quirks make excellent fodder for your characters.” Believe me, all my flaws are distinctly not funny, because they all have to do with being really afraid that people will laugh at me. They tend to be extremely unamusing. At least for me. To distract you, however, from finding my flaws, here’s a fabulously funny elephant joke. Q: What do you call two elephants on a bicycle? A: Optimistic!

“When in doubt, use a kid, a grandmother, or an animal.” And there you have it! We are back to the elephant jokes. Q: Why did the Elephant stand on the marshmallow? A: So she wouldn't fall in the hot chocolate.

In conclusion, and in case you would like to read more elephant jokes, here is where I found mine. Maybe one day, by chance, when I’m not trying so hard, something funny will find its way out. For now I think I’ll stick to elephants. And that joke about the two Frenchmen who find the poopoo in the street. But that’s for another time.