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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| Genre | Children's literature, comedy. |
| 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 Murray "'Dav" Pilkey Jr. (born March 4, 1966) is an American cartoonist, author, and illustrator of children's books. He is famous for creating the Captain Underpants series. He also created its popular spin-off, the Dog Man graphic novel series. For Dog Man, he uses the pen names George Beard and Harold Hutchins. These are also the names of the two main characters in the Captain Underpants books.
Dav Pilkey's Life and Career
Dav Pilkey was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on March 4, 1966. His father was a minister, and his mother was a church organist. He grew up in a Christian home with an older sister.
Childhood Challenges and Creativity
As a child, Pilkey was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia. This meant he sometimes had trouble focusing and learning to read. In elementary school, he often got into trouble for his behavior. He would usually sit at a desk in the school hallway. It was there, in the hallway, that he first created the funny character, Captain Underpants!
In 1987, Pilkey wrote his first book, World War Won. It was a story inspired by the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union. He entered it into a national competition for student authors and won in his age group. The book was published the same year as part of his award.
How Dav Got His Name
You might wonder why his first name is spelled "Dav" instead of "Dave." It's a funny story! When he was working at Pizza Hut, the "e" was accidentally left off his name tag. He liked it and decided to keep it that way!
Pilkey went to Kent State University. In 2005, he married Sayuri Pilkey.
Break from Writing and New Books
Dav Pilkey took a break from writing for a few years to care for his father, who was very ill. After his father passed away in 2008, Pilkey made a deal with Scholastic to publish four new books.
His first full graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, came out in 2002. It was a huge hit, appearing on bestseller lists for both adult and children's books. He then released more graphic novels like The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (2010) and Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011).
He also continued the Captain Underpants series with many new adventures. Since 2016, he has published twelve Dog Man novels, which are incredibly popular.
Dav Pilkey and his wife now live on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
A Book's Removal and Important Lessons
On March 25, 2021, Dav Pilkey announced that he and Scholastic would stop publishing The Adventures of Ook and Gluk. They also removed it from stores and libraries. Pilkey explained that some characters in the book were based on stereotypes. He said that even if he didn't mean to cause harm, unintentional stereotypes can still hurt people. He decided to donate all the money he earned from the book to groups that promote diversity and work to stop violence against Asian people. This showed his commitment to fairness and understanding.
Dav Pilkey's Popular Books
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated many beloved book series.
The Dragon Series
- Dragon Gets By (1991)
- A Friend For Dragon (1991)
- Dragon's Merry Christmas (1991)
- Dragon's Fat Cat (1992)
- Dragon's Halloween (1993)
The Dragon series was first published by Orchard Books. Scholastic later reprinted the series. Dav Pilkey used watercolors he bought at a grocery store to create the pictures for these books. The series even became a stop-motion animation TV show with 78 episodes!
The Dumb Bunnies Series
- The Dumb Bunnies (1994)
- The Dumb Bunnies' Easter (1995)
- Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (1996)
- The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo (1997)
Pilkey wrote The Dumb Bunnies series using the pen name, Sue Denim.
The Captain Underpants Series
This series follows the hilarious adventures of two fourth-grade pranksters, George Beard and Harold Hutchins. They accidentally hypnotize their mean principal, Mr. Krupp, turning him into the superhero Captain Underpants!
- The Adventures of Captain Underpants (September 1, 1997)
- Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (February 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) (September 1, 1999)
- Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (July 29, 2000)
- The Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book o' Fun (2001)
- Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (August 29, 2001)
- The All New Captain Underpants Extra-Crunchy Book O' Fun 2 (2002)
- Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets (August 1, 2003)
- Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers (September 30, 2003)
- Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (August 15, 2006)
- Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers (August 28, 2012)
- Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (January 15, 2013)
- Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000 (August 26, 2014)
- Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot (August 25, 2015)
Captain Underpants Spin-offs
These books are said to be written by George Beard and Harold Hutchins themselves, the characters from Captain Underpants.
- The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (February 5, 2002)
- The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (August 10, 2010)
- Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (June 28, 2011)
The Dog Man Series
Dog Man is another popular spin-off from Captain Underpants. It's also supposedly written and illustrated by George Beard and Harold Hutchins. The series follows the adventures of Dog Man, a half-dog, half-human police officer.
- Dog Man (August 30, 2016)
- Dog Man: Unleashed (December 27, 2016)
- Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties (August 29, 2017)
- Dog Man and Cat Kid (December 26, 2017)
- Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas (August 28, 2018)
- Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild (December 24, 2018)
- Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls (August 13, 2019)
- Dog Man: Fetch-22 (December 10, 2019)
- Dog Man: Grime and Punishment (September 1, 2020)
- Dog Man: Mothering Heights (March 23, 2021)
- Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under The Sea (March 28, 2023)
- Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder (March 19, 2024)
- Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (December 3, 2024)
The Cat Kid Comic Club Series
This series is also part of the Dog Man universe. It features Cat Kid, who starts a comic club to teach others how to draw and tell stories.
- Cat Kid Comic Club (December 1, 2020)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives (November 30, 2021)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose (April 12, 2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Collaborations (November 29, 2022)
- Cat Kid Comic Club: Influencers (November 28, 2023)
The Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Series
This series is about a small mouse named Ricky Ricotta and his giant robot friend. They protect the world from evil 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)
- Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book o' Fun (2016)
The Big Dog & Little Dog Series
- Big Dog and Little Dog Getting in Trouble (1997)
- Big Dog and Little Dog Wearing Sweaters (1998)
- Big Dog and Little Dog Making a Mistake (1999)
- The Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog (1999)
Awards and Recognition
Dav Pilkey has won several awards for his amazing books:
- 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, as the favorite children's book author.
- 2019: Person of the Year Award from Publishers Weekly.
- 2019: Comic Industry Person of the Year.
See also
In Spanish: Dav Pilkey para niños
