Dog Man

Text and Illustrations By Dav Pilkey

Color by José Garibaldi

Children’s Book (Graphic Novel)

231 Pages, Hardcover

© 2016

ISBN-13: 978-0-545-58160-8

$9.99 USD

Presently, there are four books in the heroic Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey.  I’ve read only the first, and here’s a review to get the rest of you at least mildly acquainted.

In case the author’s name sounds familiar, he’s the heroic creator of Captain Underpants.  If you have to ask who Captain Underpants is, visit the Children’s Room at your local library at once and tell the librarian it’s “urgent.”  I guarantee you’ll be enlightened before you leave, provided you receive background information on the fictional-but-all-too-real George and Harold.  They’re instrumental in helping Mr. Pilkey bring readers up-to-date on the important issues of the day, although George and Harold’s school principal, Mr. Krupp, has nothing good to say about either one of them.

(Note: George and Harold assisted in the writing of Captain Underpants and Dog Man.  In fact, if they can be believed, they did more work than Dav Pilkey.)

Like Captain Underpants, Dog Man should appeal to readers of all ages, but I’m guessing  most of my classmates and I would have been able to read it without assistance by age nine (I found no age recommendation in the book).

Adults should appreciate humor in Dog Man which will go over the heads of most nine year-olds.  Recall 1970s pop music.  Also think of a trendy concept in the science of immortality, without the freezing part.

There’s lots of humor to appeal to kids.  Yes, there’s some poop in this story, but oodles of other stuff, too.

Dog Man works for a police agency.  He has conflicts with authority figures, but that may be because Dog Man is of a different species (different frame of reference), and the fact that he’s usually right.  His canine instinct and other, more vague traits, respond brilliantly to overwhelming threats.  If you think you could handle those crises without the help of a fictional dog, get over yourself.

Read Dog Man.  It’s a humbling experience for anyone.