Look, it’s Dog Man. It’s loud, it’s silly, and there are jokes about flatulence. But Dav Pilkey has this secret sauce where he sneaks in real heart and literary references while your kid thinks they’re just looking at a dog in a police hat.

This specific volume is widely considered one of the best in the series because of the introduction of Lil' Petey. He brings a level of sweetness that balances out the chaos and actually gives the 'villain' Petey a chance to grow. If you want your kid to actually enjoy opening a book instead of treating it like a chore, this is a must-have.