Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants helped pave the way for the graphic novel explosion in children's books--at least for that fragile age group that we often lose as readers. Fourth-graders George and Harold led a parade of reluctant boy readers into bookstores and libraries in search of the pair's latest capers. It's been nine years since the creative duo first invented Super Diaper Baby in lieu of a 100-page essay as penance to their principal for misbehaving. But they're back, in spades. After Mr. Krupp deemed their story garbage ("This is garbage!!!" he says), he challenges them to "write about anything else besides poop," and hands them a copy of "How the Grinch Stoled [sic] Christmas."
What do George and Harold write about this time? You guessed it: pee. As with the first of the Super Diaper Baby adventures, this is not just a scatological story--not at all. Well, there is a Dr. Dilbert Dinkle whose evil cat, Petey, inadvertently liquidates his owner into water--but water with a consciousness. Children learn about water's different stages (as Dr. Dinkle turns into ice and steam), plus what happens to water when it passes through a cat's system. Despite his new state, Dr. Dinkle hatches a diabolical plan (the title offers a clue), described in the rhythm and rhyme of Dr. Seuss's Grinch. An emotional subplot zeroes in on Super Diaper Baby's father, who feels useless next to his powerful infant and dog. Those who love the Flip-o-Rama feature will find a bounty of them here. Fans will welcome back George and Harold in a rip-roaring story, and novices will quickly become converts. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness