Dav Pilkey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dav Pilkey
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Pilkey at a book event in 2018
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| Born | David Murray Pilkey Jr. March 4, 1966 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Pen name | Dan Pilkey George Beard Harold Hutchins Sue Denim |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
| Notable works | Dragon series Captain Underpants series Dog Man series Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot series Dumb Bunnies series |
| Spouse |
Sayuri Pilkey
(m. 2005) |
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David "Dav" Murray Pilkey Jr. (born March 4, 1966) is a famous American author and illustrator. He is best known for creating the hilarious Captain Underpants book series. He also created its popular spin-off series, Dog Man.
For the Dog Man books, he cleverly uses the pen names George Beard and Harold Hutchins. If you're a fan of Captain Underpants, you'll know those are the names of the two main characters who create the comics in the story!
Contents
Early Life and School Days
Dav Pilkey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 4, 1966. His father was a minister, and his mother was the church organist. He has one older sister.
As a kid, Dav was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. These learning differences sometimes made it hard for him to focus in class. He was often sent to a desk in the hallway for being disruptive. But Dav used this time to do what he loved: draw! It was in that hallway that he first created his famous character, Captain Underpants.
In 1987, while he was still a student, Dav entered a national writing contest. His first book, World War Won, won in his age group. Part of the prize was getting his book published, which was a huge start to his career.
Ever wonder why his name is spelled "Dav" instead of "Dave"? It happened when he worked at a pizza place. His name tag was missing the "e," and he decided to keep it that way!
Career as a Famous Author
Dav Pilkey graduated from Kent State University. The first Captain Underpants book was published in 1997 and was a huge hit with kids. In 2002, he released The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, his first full graphic novel. It became a bestseller, proving how much kids loved his funny stories and drawings.
For a few years, Dav took a break from writing to take care of his father, who was very sick. He returned to writing in 2009 and started creating new books for his fans. This led to more Captain Underpants adventures and the creation of the Dog Man series, which started in 2016.
In 2005, he married his wife, Sayuri. They now live on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
A Responsible Choice
In March 2021, Dav Pilkey and his publisher, Scholastic, made an important decision. They decided to stop publishing the book The Adventures of Ook and Gluk. They also asked stores and libraries to remove it from their shelves.
Pilkey explained that the book included characters that were based on harmful stereotypes. A stereotype is an unfair and overly simple idea about a group of people. He said that his goal was to bring people together, not cause harm.
He apologized and said that even if stereotypes are not meant to be hurtful, they can still be damaging. To show he was serious, Dav Pilkey promised to donate all the money he ever made from the book to groups that work to promote diversity and fairness.
Dav Pilkey's Famous Books
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated dozens of books. Here are some of his most popular series.
The Captain Underpants Universe
This is Dav Pilkey's most famous world of characters. It all started with two best friends, George and Harold, who create a superhero named Captain Underpants.
Captain Underpants Series
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)
- Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (1999)
- Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) (1999)
- Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2000)
- Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (2001)
- Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (2003)
- Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (2003)
- Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
- Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (2012)
- Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (2013)
- Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (2014)
- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (2015)
Dog Man Series
Dog Man is a spin-off of Captain Underpants. In the story, it's another comic book series created by George and Harold.
- Dog Man (2016)
- Dog Man: Unleashed (2016)
- Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (2017)
- Dog Man and Cat Kid (2017)
- Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (2018)
- Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (2018)
- Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (2019)
- Dog Man: Fetch-22 (2019)
- Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (2020)
- Dog Man: Mothering Heights (2021)
- Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea (2023)
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Believes (2025)
Cat Kid Comic Club Series
This series is a spin-off of Dog Man, featuring the character Li'l Petey. The books teach kids how to make their own comics.
- Cat Kid Comic Club (2020)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (2021)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (2023)
Other Spin-Offs
- The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002)
- Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011)
Other Popular Series
Dragon Series
This is one of Dav Pilkey's earliest series. He used simple watercolors to create the friendly blue dragon. The books were so popular they were made into a stop-motion TV show.
- Dragon Gets By (1991)
- A Friend For Dragon (1991)
- Dragon's Merry Christmas (1991)
- Dragon's Fat Cat (1992)
- Dragon's Halloween (1993)
Dumb Bunnies Series
Pilkey wrote this funny series using the pen name Sue Denim. It's about a family of bunnies who do everything backwards.
- The Dumb Bunnies (1994)
- The Dumb Bunnies' Easter (1995)
- Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (1996)
- The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo (1997)
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series
This series is about a lonely mouse named Ricky who becomes friends with a giant robot. Together, they save the world from evil space villains.
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (2000)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitoes from Mercury (2000)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus (2001)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mecha Monkeys from Mars (2002)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter (2002)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn (2003)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Uranium Unicorns from Uranus (2005)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Naughty Night Crawlers from Neptune (2016)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Un-Pleasant Penguins from Pluto (2016)
Awards and Recognition
Dav Pilkey's work has won many awards. Here are some of the honors he has received:
- 1986: The National Written and Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students, for World War Won
- 1997: Caldecott Honor Award, for The Paperboy
- 1998: California Young Reader Medal, for Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis
- 2007: Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, for The Captain Underpants series
- 2016: Milner Award, for being a favorite children's book author
- 2019: Comic Industry Person of the Year from Publishers Weekly
See also
In Spanish: Dav Pilkey para niños
