8 Great Reasons Your Kid Should Be Reading Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man Series

Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man Series #4)

Hardcover $9.99

Dog Man and Cat Kid (Dog Man Series #4)

By Dav Pilkey
Illustrator Dav Pilkey

Hardcover $9.99

If you think it would be impossible for Dav Pilkey to top or equal Captain Underpants, you haven’t checked out his hilarious new series, Dog Man. Just in time for the release of the newest novel in the series, Dog Man and Cat Kid, here are eight reasons why your kid should be reading Dog Man.

If you think it would be impossible for Dav Pilkey to top or equal Captain Underpants, you haven’t checked out his hilarious new series, Dog Man. Just in time for the release of the newest novel in the series, Dog Man and Cat Kid, here are eight reasons why your kid should be reading Dog Man.

For the Weirdness
As readers of Captain Underpants can tell you, Dav Pilkey never let plausibility stand in the way of his imagination. The premise of the Dog Man series: Once there was a cop who fought crimes with his favorite police dog. One day a bomb injures them, and as the doctor explains, “The cop’s head is dying, and the dog’s body is dying!” So the crack medical team sews the dog’s head onto the cop’s body, and Dog Man, the crime-fighting half man, half dog is born.

For the Strange Villains
In the second book in the series, Dog Man Unleashed, Dog Man selects a pet fish from the pet store—who happens to be evil! What’s worse, he eats something called “brain dots,” which turn him into an evil genius. Although Flippy the Psychokinetic Fish is defeated in book 2, he’s brought back to life in book three, his bones replaced with bionics until he’s more machine than fish—and more unstoppable than ever!

Dog Man (Dog Man Series #1)

Hardcover $9.99

Dog Man (Dog Man Series #1)

By Dav Pilkey
Illustrator Dav Pilkey

Hardcover $9.99

For the Narrators
If the half man, half dog idea sounds like something a ten-year-old would come up with, that only makes sense because each Dog Man book is introduced by its creators, fifth graders George and Harold, the same kids who narrated Captain Underpants. They get their ideas from all kinds of places, including the fact that their teacher makes them read classic literature. Reading Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities inspired them to write the third Dog Man book, A Tale of Two Kitties.

For the Narrators
If the half man, half dog idea sounds like something a ten-year-old would come up with, that only makes sense because each Dog Man book is introduced by its creators, fifth graders George and Harold, the same kids who narrated Captain Underpants. They get their ideas from all kinds of places, including the fact that their teacher makes them read classic literature. Reading Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities inspired them to write the third Dog Man book, A Tale of Two Kitties.

For the Flip-O-Rama
Books 3 and 4 of the Dog Man series includs the “Flip-O-Rama”: pages readers can turn into a flip book by placing their left hand and right thumb in the spaces indicated. (In Dog Man and Cat Kid, the flip-o-rama features an actor dressed as Petey losing his cat pants.)

For the Laughs
If you’re a kid, or if you still laugh at childish jokes, you’ll love Dog Man. Case in point: the new Dog Man and Cat Kid features eleven different euphemisms for passing gas. “Who sneaked a one-cheek squeak?” “Who sneezed out the wrong end?” Come on, even this staid middle-aged mom thinks it’s pretty funny.

Dog Man Unleashed (Dog Man Series #2)

Hardcover $9.99

Dog Man Unleashed (Dog Man Series #2)

By Dav Pilkey
Illustrator Dav Pilkey

In Stock Online

Hardcover $9.99

For the Good Cat/Bad Cat Drama
Dog Man’s nemesis is Petey, the “world’s evilest cat.” In the third book, Petey decides to clone himself to double his nefarious powers. But when he buys a cloning machine and inserts his DNA, out pops a cloned kitten, too young to be of use. And, as it turns out, Lil’ Petey is too sweet to be of use—he wants no part in his Papa’s dastardly schemes. Still, he loves his Papa, a bond that Petey is sometimes able to use to his advantage.

For the Good Cat/Bad Cat Drama
Dog Man’s nemesis is Petey, the “world’s evilest cat.” In the third book, Petey decides to clone himself to double his nefarious powers. But when he buys a cloning machine and inserts his DNA, out pops a cloned kitten, too young to be of use. And, as it turns out, Lil’ Petey is too sweet to be of use—he wants no part in his Papa’s dastardly schemes. Still, he loves his Papa, a bond that Petey is sometimes able to use to his advantage.

For the Silent Strength of Dog Man Himself
Dog Man can’t talk. His canine nature seems to overwhelm his human qualities most of the time—you’ll find him chewing on furniture, taking naps in the middle of the floor, rolling in dead fish, and licking people. But when it’s time for action, Dog Man puts his chew toys aside and gets the job done.

For the Drawing Lessons
In every book, there’s a lesson on how to draw some of the characters. It’s pretty clear that Dav Pilkey’s on a mission to inspire future comic book artists, who can get started no matter how young they happen to be.

Dog Man and Cat Kid is on B&N bookshelves now!