Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets - Softcover

Pilkey, Dav

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0590634275 ISBN 13: 9780590634274

Publisher: Scholastic, 1999

Synopsis

George and Harold are usually responsible kids -- whenever anything bad happens, George and Harold are usually responsible! This time, their latest prank backfires, and they accidentally invent an army of terrifying talking toilets. Luckily, they know a superhero with enough snap in his waistband to save the day! This looks like another job for the amazing Captain Underpants!

About this title

From the Author:

NOTES (from Pilkey.com):

After Dav Pilkey got his first book published in 1987, he was invited to speak to kids at hundreds of schools and libraries all over the Midwest. When Dav gave his presentations, he'd draw pictures and tell the story of the events that led up to him being an author and illustrator. The most popular portion of Dav's presentation was when he would talk about writing his Captain Underpants comics.

"I would start drawing a picture of this chubby superhero guy, while I talked about creating my own comic books. Then I would tell my audience the name of the character I was drawing. When I said the words 'Captain Underpants', all the kids would burst out laughing. I'd draw the underwear and the cape, and the kids in the audience LOVED it! Finally, I'd mention the title of one of the comics I had created as a kid. It was called 'Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets'. When the kids heard that title, the room would EXPLODE with laughter!" -- Dav Pilkey

After Dav's presentations, he'd ask the kids if they had any questions. Inevitably, the first question would be "Are you going to write a book about Captain Underpants?"

Another question Dav always got (which wasn't really a question) was: "You should write a book about the Attack of the Talking Toilets!". Just the mention of those silly toilets would get everybody laughing again.

So several years later, Dav finally did write a book about Captain Underpants. After the book came out, Dav began working on a sequel. There was no question in his mind what the title of that second book HAD to be!
Fun Facts:

1. Dav actually did write a comic book called Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets when he was in the third grade. It was about an evil scientist who created a potion which brought things to life. The scientist got scared and flushed the dangerous potion down some toilets (hoping to get rid of it). But instead, it brought the toilets to life. This simple comic book story was the inspiration for this "Epic Novel" AND for the comic book Hairy Potty and the Underwear of Justice which appears in The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun.

2. Sadly, most of Dav's childhood comic books no longer exist. Most were ripped up by his teachers, and others were "borrowed" (and subsequently lost) by his friends. The only comics that Dav still has are the ones he made for his parents in the mid 1970's called The Adventures of Water Man.

3. You might notice a theme in George and Harold's comic books: the gym teacher always gets attacked by the villains, but nobody seems to care. This theme reoccurs because many of* Dav Pilkey's former gym teachers were REALLY, REALLY MEAN to him. So let this be a lesson to gym teachers all over the world: be nice to your students, or some day they might grow up and get revenge by making fun of you in their epic novels!

(*Note: Dav's lawyer told him to use the phrase "many of" ).

4. The term "Invention Convention" was coined by Dav's Uncle Peter. Peter Pilkey** is a retired school teacher from Berea, Ohio, who used to host an "Invention Convention" at his school every year.

(**Note: Despite popular speculation, Dav's uncle Peter has never had anything to do with a peck of pickled peppers).

About the Author:

"Considered one of the most popular contemporary authors for readers in elementary school, (Dav Pilkey) is also regarded as a talented artist and inventive humorist as well as a subtle moralist. ...He underscores his works--even at their most outrageous--with a philosophy that emphasizes friendship, tolerance, and generosity and celebrates the triumph of the good-hearted."
-The Educational Book & Media Association

Dav Pilkey is the Caldecott Honor Award-winning creator of more than 40 books for children.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0590634275
• ISBN 13: 9780590634274
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144
• Illustrator: Pilkey Dav