From the creator of Captain Underpants comes a spin-off series called Dog Man! The Dog Man Series is a group of graphic novels for children ages 8 to 10 created by writer/illustrator/cartoonist Dav Pilkey. My 10-year-old grandson is a huge fan of these books.
When Tyler first showed me his Dog Man books, I saw them from an adult standpoint and thought them rather silly – cartoon strips with dopey dialogue and ridiculous situations. Then I saw the joy in my grandson’s demeanor as he described these books to me. I quickly changed my mind when I realized how much he loved them and how funny he thought they were. For a ten year old boy to enjoy reading books, no matter how silly, is something any adult should encourage.
The Dog Man Series
The book series centers around Dog Man, a new hero with the body of a police officer and the head of a dog sewed together. They are graphic novel chapter books written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey. There are currently 12 books in the series, with a new one coming out in December 2024.
Author Dav Pilkey
Source: Wikipedia |
The author’s true name is David Murray Pilkey Jr. Early on, Dave worked for Pizza Hut and someone left the ‘e’ off on his name tag. Thus, he adopted this atypical spelling as his pen name ‘Dav’ when he began writing his novels for children.
Dav was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and was also dyslexic. He was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway each day. Well, Dav loved to draw and enjoyed making up stories, so he spent his hallway time creating his own original comic books. Luckily Dav was not a very good listener when told by his teacher that he couldn’t spend the rest of his life making silly books because the adventures he created later became his bestselling books of Captain Underpants and Dog Man.
In addition to the Dog Man series and the already popular Captain Underpants series, Dav Pilkey has published six other series of graphic novels, plus 18 standalone stories.
Summary
Adults may find these children’s series of graphic novels silly, but children, like my grandson Tyler, love them and Dav Pilkey has proven that a difficult beginning in school can be overcome with a positive attitude and a born talent for drawing and storytelling.
Today he is a bestseller author and illustrator of numerous children's book series, with his Dog Man Grime and Punishment being his #1 best-selling book in the United States and Canada. His Cat Kid Comic Club book is also on the top-25 list.
Check out the Dav Pilkey website here for a list of all his children's book series.
Book #13 in the Dog Man Series coming December 3, 2024. Preorder below.
In DOG MAN: BIG JIM BEGINS, discover the origin of our beloved characters from the Dog Man series as they join forces to stop the Space Cuties from destroying the city.
*Book review of the Dog Man series is written by Wednesday Elf
It's always great to get a thumbs up for kids in this age bracket. Sometimes it's hard to know what they would like or dislike. Thanks for putting this up here for us Grands that sometimes struggle to find that appropriate books/reading material for an age group that can be difficult. I appreciate your review.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Olivia. I find my age-appropriate gifts from interaction with and observation of my grandsons. Definitely helpful to us grands.
DeleteWhat a great story about this author!! Thanks for sharing. I remember my granddaughters loving Captain Underpants when they were younger.
ReplyDeleteI only know of Captain Underpants from my grandson. He has some of those novels too. What a fun group of books.
DeleteA very inspiring, real life story of success! I am sure the books are fun to read. Just knowing about the author makes me want to check them out, even if I would think they were kinda silly. Sometimes, silly is good!
ReplyDeleteI really have to admire the author, Dav Pilkey, for his positive outlook on life despite his earlier difficulties, and turning his enthusiasm and talent into a terrific career. Silliness definitely pays. :)
DeleteAnything that encourages kids to read gets two thumbs up in my, er, book! Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Margaret.
DeleteMy boys had the full series of Captain Underpants (or darn near all of them). Fantastic that there's a spin off series to this. I imagine it will be or is quite popular!
ReplyDeleteI saw my grandson's Captain Underpants books before I saw his Dog Man books. Silliness, for sure, but it DOES get kids to read, which is always a good thing. :)
DeleteOur grandson, Bobby had the complete series of Captain Underpants. He loved every one of them. Our daughter says that is how he learned and got interested so much in reading.
ReplyDeleteAnything that encourages kids to enjoy reading is good in my book :), Sam. If silliness is the way to win kids over to reading, this unique author sure knows how.
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