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
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| 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
