Parents of young and reluctant readers have an unlikely hero: Captain Underpants. Dav Pilkey’s series is catnip to the grade-school set, thanks to talking toilets and characters like Bionic Booger Boy, Wedgie Woman and its titular superhero. So, it’s no surprise to learn that Pilkey — who says “a label malfunction” during his Pizza Hut days made him a Dav instead of a Dave — was the class clown back home in Cleveland. Diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder, he majored in funny noises and was often ordered out of the classroom. Sitting in the hall, he drew a bunch of superheroes, Underpants among them. His ninth book, “Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers,” comes out Tuesday. Here’s what’s in his library.
Walden
by Henry David Thoreau
This is my favorite adult book. It always makes me want to throw my computer out the window and go live in the forest somewhere. I know I could never pull it off, though (neither could Thoreau), but it still reminds me of what’s important in life and what’s just “junk.”
The Acme Novelty Library (1-20)
by Chris Ware
Chris Ware is a genius, both as a writer and a graphic artist. He makes beautiful, elaborately detailed comic books centered around things most people wouldn’t want to dwell on: selfishness, loneliness, regret, cruelty and the insignificance of our existence. It’s almost as if he’s reminding us not to get too full of ourselves. Each volume is a masterpiece of misanthropic mischievousness.
Letters from the Earth
by Mark Twain
I love everything I’ve read by Twain, especially this and “The Mysterious Stranger.” In my early teens they made me uncomfortable, probably because of my strict religious upbringing. The more I read, the more I began to think and ask questions. Some people will never be the same after reading these essays and stories. I was one of them.
Pet Sematary
by Stephen King
This is my favorite King book because it scared me more than any of his others. The funny thing is, you could remove all the horror, and it would still stand as a beautifully written work with rich characters and deep emotion. I’m glad the horror’s there, though: It gives the book sharp teeth that dig in and leave scars.