Dav Pilkey’s Extra Crunchy Website O’ Fun

Reviewed by Delane James

This is the official website of the infamous author of the wildly popular Captain Underpants series, Dav Pilkey. This site is the second incarnation of Pilkey’s website and was created and updated in 2003 by Dav Pilkey and Eyeland Studios. The original website was created in 1997 by Pilkey and John Wills. While the original site was loaded with a good deal of fun, games and creative activities, the updated site continues this tradition with a bit of extra polish. The website, still full of gags to delight even the most reluctant young reader, now boasts many animations and slick bells and whistle. This website appeals to non-readers who may gather most of their literary prowess from Cartoon Network. The opening page to this website is a kid-attractive menu with many links to follow. Some of the links include: “Junk, Stuff and Thingies”, “Boring Grown-up Stuff”, “Meet Dav”, and “New Stuff”. According to links in the “New Stuff” section, the website was updated within the last two weeks. The site includes many games, coloring sheets, information about Pilkey’s books and creative activities. Dav encourages youngsters to create their own stories and pictures. The Boring Grown-up section has a wide selection of extension activities that could easily be used in classroom and library settings. Dav’s site gives kids many choices. One example is the treatment of the life of Pilkey’s co-creator of the Dumb Bunnies series, Sue Denim. Based on whether or not you can keep a secret, the links lead you to different stories about Sue. If you are a blabbermouth, you can read all about fictitious Sue. If you can keep a secret, you learn what a pseudonym is and that Sue Denim is Dav Pilkey’s pseudonym. The most wonderful part about this site and of great interest for storytellers is the stories of Dav’s life. Here too you can choose the comic book or a text version complete with real photos of Little Dav. Pilkey shares with the reader that he has Attention Deficit Disorder and because of this he had terrible time academically. Throughout his school days, teachers told Dav he would never amount to anything. When he attended college, a teacher encouraged him to become a writer and illustrator. The last part of Dav’s story is a moral “in easy-to-swallow cartoon format”. Here is a link to Dav’s moral: http://www.pilkey.com/adventure5.php In the text version of this same story, Pilkey encourages group-ups to share his story with children. I encourage parents, educators, librarians and storytellers to direct children to Pilkey’s website. It is truly inspiring and filled with goofy, creative fun. What a great why to bring children and literature together!

Reviewed by Michelle Dodsworth

With a name like Dav Pilkey's Extra-Crunchy Website O'Fun and a warning that "this website contains scenes and material which may be considered too silly for grown-ups, small animals, and many varieties of house plants", you know that this is not your ordinary website. Dav Pilkey, the author of the Captain Underpants series, Ricky Ricotta series, and books such as Dogzilla and Kat Kong, has a site that is sure to entertain and inform children and adults alike. Beside information on his books, this brightly-colored kid-friendly site also includes groovy games, such as The Bionic Hamster and Super Diaper Baby, and a section titled Junk, Stuff, and Thingies. Here kids can print coloring pages, read jokes and riddles, and read Dav's first book. Adults can get tips on how to use the website information in Boring Grown-Up Stuff. For those that frequent the site, the New Stuff link will keep the fan updated on website additions. Whether young or old, this website has something for everyone.