Having a sense of fun in books is a huge, huge deal, because a lot of times kids - even me when I got to third or fourth grade - don't associate reading with fun.

It used to take me forever to read and comprehend stuff, so I decided not to make the 'Captain Underpants' books too challenging. Don't get me wrong - the humor and ideas are often sophisticated - but the books aren't hard to read. I wanted kids who hate reading to find these books irresistible.

My books are just pure escapism for kids.

My reading preferences are kind of all over the board - I read nonfiction, I read graphic novels.

I had a lot of reading problems growing up.

Grown-ups do a lot of complaining!

I think my funny books are my favorites because I like to laugh so much.