Show Capt Underpants and the Battle of Banned Books Elizabeth Chang The Washington Post Captain Underpants has a anew anew anew new mission to fight for banned books Last year the Captain Underpants series by Dav Day was on the Top 10 lO lOlist list of books that some ups grown-ups wanted to keep out of school and public libraries That's why Captain Underpants is appearing on American Library Association posters and bracelets for Banned Books Week which is this week Some adults think the Captain Underpants series is a bad influence on kids In the books two kids hypnotize hypnotize hypnotize hyp hyp- their school principal v into believing he is a comic book character He then battles battles battles bat bat- nasty cafeteria ladies from outer space and talking talking talking talk talk- ing toilets The adults in the stories are usually mean or stupid or both and there is isa a lot of discussion about things such as wedgies and nostril nuggets and upchucking Some ups grown-ups dont don't like that language and they think the books encourage disrespect for adults Others think the books are funny and creative Some parents are just happy their kids are reading Sometimes I have parents parents parents par par- who kind of go Captain Underpants They're not thrilled but they know their kids love them and their kids read them said Jane Drabkin a childrens children's librarian at Chinn Park Regional Library in Prince William County Va Captain Underpants may not be great literature but the librarians think that tha Banned Books Cont on Page 4 Banned Books Cont Cant from front each family should decide which books are appropriate for them If books such as Captain Underpants get banned then no kids can check them out of the library library- even if their parents say its it's OK So what do kids think Matthew Korty 8 of Potomac Md finds the idea of talking toilets 1 00 percent fun- fun And kids dont don't worry that the books' books fans will imitate the behavior in inthe inthe inthe the series Its like a make-believe make story so I 1 really dont don't think that people should think that kids would do that said Maddie Beller 8 also of Potomac Librarian Drabkin says that people who want to ban the books just are not giving the kids credit for understanding understanding understanding under under- standing that its it's just for fun Several readers pointed point point- ed out that kids couldn't copy the action in the books even if they wanted to After all said year old Brandon Pelar of Springfield Va Theres There s no such thing as a hypnotizing ring |