A friend posted a CNN story about recent requests to ban books. "Captain Underpants" tops the list in the children's category.
I'm honestly surprised, and I'll tell you why...
Years ago, when I worked for an elementary school, we had a down and out family (both parents lost jobs at the same corporation) that couldn't afford new clothes. Socks and underwear are items that thrift stores and clothing donation sites generally won't take. So our guidance counselor set out to hold one of her own.
She never mentioned the family in need as part of the drive, but did list the childrens' ages as those most in demand.
All items donated were required to be new and wrapped.
Unfortunately, the drive wasn't going anywhere so the counselor (who is a friend of mine) asked if I had any ideas.
I'm pretty good with a paintbrush, and 'Captain Underpants' was very much an 'it' item, so I went around the school and painted various Captain Underpants characters and catchphrases on the donation boxes.
It was a hit! The kids were so thrilled, parents were entertained. We ended up with much more than we needed for the single family and passed the extra along to local shelters. It was all thanks to Captain Underpants!
