TL;DR: If your kid is obsessed with a canine-headed cop, breathe a sigh of relief. Dog Man isn't "brain rot"—it’s a high-speed engine for literacy. With the Dog Man movie hitting theaters in January 2025 and new releases like Dog Man: Big Jim Begins dominating the charts, the "Pilkey-verse" is the biggest thing in elementary schools right now.
Quick Links:
- The Gateway Drug: Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
- The Spin-off: Cat Kid Comic Club
- The Next Step: InvestiGators
- The Cinematic Event: Dog Man (2025 Movie)
If you’ve spent any time at a Scholastic Book Fair lately, you know the vibe. It’s basically a mosh pit of third graders clutching crumpled twenties, all trying to get their hands on the latest Dav Pilkey release.
For the uninitiated, Dog Man is a series about a police officer and a dog who are injured in a bomb blast and... well, the doctor sews the dog’s head onto the cop’s body. It’s absurd. It’s full of "supa" villains, "living" sprays, and a surprisingly heartfelt clone kitten named Li’l Petey.
But as a parent, you might be looking at these brightly colored panels, the intentional misspellings, and the "Flip-O-Rama" pages and wondering: Is this actually reading?
The short answer is yes. The long answer is: This is the most important literacy tool of the decade.
We need to kill the "graphic novels aren't real books" myth once and for all. For an emerging reader—especially the ones who would rather be playing Roblox or watching MrBeast—a 200-page chapter book with no pictures looks like a mountain they aren't equipped to climb.
Graphic novels provide "scaffolding." The images give context to the words, helping kids decode meaning without getting stuck on every single syllable. When a kid finishes a 220-page Dog Man book in one sitting, they aren't just consuming a story; they are building reading stamina. They get the hit of dopamine that comes from finishing a book, which makes them want to pick up the next one.
Learn more about the benefits of graphic novels for ADHD brains
Mark your calendars for January 31, 2025. DreamWorks is bringing Dog Man to the big screen, and it’s going to be a massive cultural moment for the K-5 set.
Here’s the no-BS take: It’s going to be loud, it’s going to be frantic, and there will almost certainly be a joke about a toilet. But if the trailer is any indication, they’ve captured the heart of the books—the weird, found-family dynamic between the world's worst villain, Petey the Cat, and his sweet-natured clone, Li’l Petey.
If you have a reluctant reader, use this movie as leverage. Read the first three books before the movie comes out. It’s the easiest "the book was better" conversation you’ll ever have with a seven-year-old.
Once your kid has inhaled the entire Dog Man series (which usually takes about a weekend), you’re going to need a "What’s Next?" strategy. Here is the Screenwise-approved list of graphic novels that actually hold a kid's attention.
If Dog Man is the king of slapstick, InvestiGators is the king of puns. It follows two alligators in vests who solve mysteries. The wordplay is actually quite clever—it’s the kind of book where you’ll hear your kid laughing and they’ll actually be able to explain the joke to you.
- Ages: 7-10
- Vibe: Gadgets, puns, and high-energy mystery.
You might have seen The Bad Guys movie, but the books are where it’s at. They use a very limited color palette (mostly black, white, and orange) and very few words per page, making them perfect for kids who are still intimidated by heavy text. It’s a great "redemption" story about scary animals trying to be heroes.
- Ages: 6-9
- Vibe: Cool, slightly edgy, very fast-paced.
This is Dav Pilkey’s "meta" series. It’s about a group of baby frogs learning how to make their own comics. What’s brilliant here is that it showcases different art styles—photography, claymation, watercolor—and encourages kids to stop consuming and start creating. If your kid is constantly drawing in the margins of their homework, get them this.
- Ages: 7-11
- Vibe: Creative, chaotic, and inspiring.
When they are ready to level up to "real" fantasy but aren't quite ready for the Wings of Fire prose novels, these are the perfect bridge. They are much more intense than Dog Man—there’s dragon warfare and some "fantasy violence"—but the world-building is top-tier.
- Ages: 8-12
- Vibe: Epic fantasy, high stakes, very "Ohio" (in the sense that it’s weirdly cool).
Let’s talk about the potty humor. Dav Pilkey’s work—starting with Captain Underpants—has been criticized for being "low-brow." There are toilets. There are "fart whistles." There is a character named Dr. Scum.
But here is the reality: Kids think this stuff is hilarious. And when a kid thinks a book is hilarious, they don’t put it down.
Pilkey also sneaks in some surprisingly deep themes. Dog Man deals with redemption, the idea that you aren't defined by your past (Petey the Cat’s arc is genuinely moving), and the importance of kindness. It’s not Shakespeare, but it’s a lot more wholesome than 90% of what’s trending on YouTube.
Safety Considerations
Graphic novels are generally "safe" content, but as your kid moves into middle-grade territory, the themes can sharpen.
- The "Scary" Jump: Moving from Dog Man to something like Amulet is a big leap in tone. Amulet is dark, beautiful, and features some genuinely frightening monsters.
- Digital Reading: Many kids read these on Epic!. Just be aware that Epic! tracks reading time and "levels," which can sometimes turn reading into a gamified chore rather than a hobby.
Ask our chatbot for a comparison of Epic! vs. Libby for digital reading
Don't just let them disappear into the book. Engage with the medium. Graphic novels are a great way to talk about visual storytelling.
- Ask about the art: "Why did the author make this panel all red?" (Usually means the character is angry).
- The "What if?" game: "If you were making a comic for the Cat Kid Comic Club, what would your character’s superpower be?"
- The Vocabulary Check: Pilkey actually uses some "million-dollar words." When you see a word like "nefarious" or "exuberant," ask your kid if they know what it means based on the picture.
The Dog Man revolution is a win for parents. It’s taking kids who would otherwise be staring at a screen and putting a physical book in their hands.
If your kid is obsessed, don't fight it. Lean in. Buy the Flip-O-Rama supplies. Go see the Dog Man movie in 2026.
We are living in a golden age of graphic novels. Whether it’s the slapstick of The Bad Guys or the epic scale of Wings of Fire, there is a comic out there that will turn your "reluctant reader" into a "can't-stop-reading" kid.
- Audit the library: Check out our guide to the best graphic novels of 2025.
- Screen-to-Page Pipeline: If your kid loves Minecraft, try the Minecraft graphic novels.
- Get Drawing: Grab some blank comic book templates. The best way to understand a graphic novel is to try and draw one.
Ask our chatbot for personalized book recommendations based on your kid's favorite video games