''Horace Splattly'' is a series of six children's books written by Lawrence David and illustrated by Barry Gott, published between 2002 and 2004 by

Puffin Books Puffin Books is a longstanding children's imprint of the British publishers Penguin Books. Since the 1960s, it has been among the largest publishers of children's books in the UK and much of the English-speaking world. The imprint now belongs to ...

. The eponymous Horace Splattly becomes the superhero The Cupcaked Crusader whenever he eats cupcakes baked by his sister.

Series

# ''Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader'' (2002) # ''When Second Graders Attack'' (2002) # ''The Terror of the Pink Dodo Balloons'' (2003) # ''To Catch a Clownosaurus'' (2003) # ''The Invasion of the Shag Carpet Creature'' (2004) # ''The Most Evil, Friendly Villain Ever'' (2004)

Reception

The series has frequently been compared with

Dav Pilkey David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. (; born March 4, 1966) is an American comic book writer of children's fiction. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series ''Captain Underpants'' and its spin-off children's graphic ...

's ''

Captain Underpants ''Captain Underpants'' is an American illustrated children's novel series and multimedia franchise by American author and illustrator Dav Pilkey. The series revolves around two fourth graders, George Beard and Harold Hutchins, living in Pi ...

'' series,School Library journal review #1 of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader"
/ref>School Library Journal review #2 of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader", archived at Amazon.com
/ref>School Library Journal review of "When Second Graders Attack", archived at Amazon.com
/ref>
/ref> ttp://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-miscellaneous/4798280-1.html Kirkus review of "Horace Splattly: The Cupcaked Crusader", archived at AllBusiness.com/ref> but not always positively.School Library Journal review of "The Terror of the Pink Dodo Balloons", archived at Amazon.com
/ref> Initially the books were praised. Of the first book, the ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' said that it had a "quick pace and silly characters" and ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' that "this caped crusader rises hilariously to meet each challenge." ''Kirkus'' later wrote that the second book "provides plenty of creative twists, danger, and excitement". But by the third book of the series, responses to the new volume had become more negative. ''School Library Journal'' said that it "never makes the absurd seem believable" and also criticized the characters. ''Kirkus'' complained that "the premise is wearing thin", but did add that it still had "enough gags and zany twists in the tale to keep fans turning the pages", and the ''Midwest Book Review'' thought that it was a "whimsical, zany adventure".Midwest Book Review: Children's Bookwatch, April 2003
/ref> Several reviewers have praised Barry Gott for his illustrations. The ''Midwest Book Review'' called them "fun", ''Kirkus Reviews'' said that they "capture the general sense of goofiness perfectly" and the ''School Library Journal'' said the " morous illustrations add to the lighthearted tone".

References

{{reflist

External links

Juvenile Series and Sequels: Title: Horace Splattly : The Cupcaked Crusader
Series of children's books Child superheroes