Sent into the school hallway as a boy for his behavior, he drew the comics that became Captain Underpants and Dog Man, two of the best-selling children's series of the past three decades.
The fifteenth Dog Man graphic novel, published by Scholastic on November 3, 2026.54 In it the antihero Grandpa disrupts time and space, and the story asks whether his villainy could help Dog Man and his friends grow.5
Bookshop.org (which supports independent bookstores) and Amazon links are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission on purchases, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. WorldCat links find the book in a library near you.
Dav Pilkey was born David Murray Pilkey Jr. on March 4, 1966, in Cleveland, Ohio.1 In second grade he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now widely known as ADHD, and Scholastic says his learning and behavioral difficulties often got him sent out of class into the hallway.3 There, at his elementary school in North Ridgeville, Ohio, he drew superhero comics, among them the first Captain Underpants.13
He went on to Kent State University.1 While working at a Pizza Hut he was given a name tag that read “Dav,” and he kept the spelling.1
As a teenager Pilkey won a national contest for young author-illustrators with World War Won, which was published in 1987.1 Picture books followed through the late 1980s and 1990s, among them ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving, Dog Breath!, The Hallo-Wiener and The Paperboy, which received a Caldecott Honor.13 He also wrote five Dragon books for early readers and, as Sue Denim, the Dumb Bunnies books; both were later adapted for television.1
The Adventures of Captain Underpants, in which best friends George Beard and Harold Hutchins turn their principal into their own comic-book superhero, launched the series in 1997.37 Twelve novels appeared through 2015, and Scholastic says the series has more than 90 million copies in print.16 Several spin-offs are credited, inside the story, to George and Harold, among them The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002), which Scholastic calls his first graphic novel.13
In 2021 Pilkey and Scholastic stopped publishing the spin-off The Adventures of Ook and Gluk (2010) after it was found to contain stereotypes; Pilkey pledged his royalties from the book to anti-violence and diversity organizations.1
Dog Man, a police officer with a dog’s head who had first appeared in Pilkey’s childhood comics, got his own graphic novel series in August 2016.3 By its tenth anniversary in 2026 the series had more than 70 million copies in print in 50 languages, and a spin-off, Cat Kid Comic Club, had more than 12 million.6 Publishers Weekly named Pilkey its Person of the Year for 2019.1
A DreamWorks Animation film of Dog Man, released by Universal Pictures, opened on January 31, 2025, and a stage musical from TheatreWorksUSA has toured since its off-Broadway run in 2019.26 Scholastic says Pilkey has created nearly 80 children’s books.6
In order of first publication. Each series is kept together, in reading order, starting where its first book appeared. Titles and series numbers from Scholastic's list of his books, with first publication years from Wikipedia and Scholastic's announcements for the newest titles.41257
Bookshop.org (which supports independent bookstores) and Amazon links are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission on purchases, at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. WorldCat links find the book in a library near you.
Won a national contest for young author-illustrators in 1986.1
Numbered as Scholastic numbers its current Acorn editions; the books first appeared from 1991 to 1993 in a different order, beginning with Dragon Gets By.41
Withdrawn by Pilkey and Scholastic in 2021 after it was found to contain stereotypes.1
A spin-off of Dog Man.1
Scholastic published Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time, the fifteenth Dog Man book.54
Marking ten years of Dog Man, Scholastic announced "Bark to School" events and a ten-city tour of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. in November and December.6
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, Pilkey's retelling of the first book with art by the Japanese manga artist Motojiro, was published.7
An animated feature from DreamWorks Animation, released by Universal Pictures on January 31, 2025.2 Scholastic says it topped the box office.6
Scholastic says the Captain Underpants books became a DreamWorks Animation film and an original Netflix series.3
The Dragon books were adapted as a stop-motion television series that ran from 2004 to 2007.1
A Nelvana animated series based on the Dumb Bunnies books he wrote as Sue Denim.1
Born in Cleveland, Ohio.1
Wins a national contest for young author-illustrators with World War Won, published the next year.1
The Adventures of Captain Underpants launches the series; The Paperboy receives a Caldecott Honor.31
The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, his first graphic novel, becomes a national bestseller.3
The first Dog Man book is published.3
Pilkey and Scholastic stop publishing The Adventures of Ook and Gluk after it is found to contain stereotypes.1
Dog Man, a DreamWorks Animation film released by Universal Pictures, opens.2
Publishes Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time.5
Scholastic plans Dog Man Dynamite, an interactive book with 3-D glasses, for August 3, 2027, with a second title to follow in January 2028.6