The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby by Dav Pilkey

The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby

Author: Dav Pilkey

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.

Date of Publication: 2002

Format: Softcover

Page Count: 125 Pages

Cost: $4.99

ISBN: 0-439-37606-8

Reading Level: Ages 7-10

Plot Summary: Best friends George and Harold have been caught getting into trouble and ordered to write a 100 page report on good citizenship. The result is the comic book story of a newborn who accidentally ingests superhero juice and becomes ‘Super Diaper Baby’. Super Diaper Baby must team up with Diaper Dog to stop a villain named Deputy Dangerous, which they manage to do by transforming him into a ‘giant piece of poo,’ wrapping him in toilet paper, and sending him to the planet Uranus. The comic portion of this story, which makes up the vast majority of the book, is full of crude potty humor and child-like spelling errors.

Evaluation: This book is as likely to be popular with children as it is to be equally unpopular with their parents. Filled with slapstick potty humor, it’s especially likely to appeal to male readers. The sparse text and flip-o-rama action make this a low-level but particularly high-interest read. Fans of Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series will gobble this book up. This book is a good choice for reluctant readers.

Reader’s Annotation: Super Diaper Baby needs Diaper Dog’s help to save the world from the evil Deputy Dangerous in a comic book full of laughs and flip-o-rama action!

Links:

Super Diaper Baby Triumphs Over Grandmother

Related Reads:

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

The Day My Butt Went Psycho by Andy Griffiths

Sweet Farts by Raymond Bean

Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

Walter the Farting Dog

Authors: William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray

Illustrator: Audrey Colman

Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Date of Publication: 2001

Format: Hardcover

Page Count: 32 Pages

Cost: $14.95

ISBN: 1-58394-053-7

Reading Level: Ages 5-8

Plot Summary: Walter the Farting Dog is the story of Walter, a dog who is rescued from the pound by two siblings named Betty and Billy. Walter is a good companion in every way, except for the fact that he has uncontrollable flatulence. After trying many different diets to no avail, the children’s parents decide Walter must be returned to the pound. However, Walter has a chance to prove his place in the family when two burglars break into the house in the middle of the night. This book contains a great deal of potty humor.

Evaluation: This book is quite funny in a rather appalling, never spoken about way. Walter’s excessive problems with flatulence are not disguised, but rather emphasized on every page of the book, both in the text and in the illustrations. The excessive potty humor and graphic illustrations might be a turn off to the adults who read it, but the combination makes for a surefire hit with preschool aged children, particularly boys. As a bonus, the book is dedicated to ‘everyone who’s ever felt misjudged or misunderstood,’ and it’s clear that there is a nice message lurking behind the book’s crude humor.

Reader’s Annotation: Walter’s farts are too much for his family to bear, but they become invaluable when burglars break into their house late one night.

Links:

Reading, ‘Riting, and ‘Rithmetic: Integrating Literacy Throughout the Curriculum with High Interest Children’s Literature

Related Reads:

Raising a Little Stink by Colleen Sydor

Good Families Don’t by Robert N. Munsch

Terry Toots by Francesco Pittau

Winchell Cuts the Cheese by Taylor Lee