Dog Man, Dav Pilkey’s Global Bestselling Phenomenon with More Than 60 Million Copies In Print To Date, Is Back with A New Book, Hit Musical, Free Comics, and More

Scholastic Announces Campaign to Celebrate Reading with “Dog Man Day” Events in Schools, Bookstores, and Libraries Around the World

(New York, NY – March 2, 2023) – Dog Man is back! The #1 global bestselling and acclaimed book series by author and illustrator Dav Pilkey makes a rollicking return on March 28th with a new book, Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, releasing simultaneously in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and throughout Asia. Pilkey’s hit series which launched to multiple starred reviews six years ago, has more than 60 million copies in print to date with translations in 44 languages. The last installment in the series, Dog Man: Mothering Heights, published nearly two years ago, dominated both children’s and adult bestseller lists, and was the #1 bestselling book overall in the U.S. in 2021. TheaterWorksUSA recently announced the March 4th return of the hit show Dog Man: The Musical at New World Stages in New York City, with performances also set to begin in Australia in June. A feature film adaptation of Dog Man is in the works from DreamWorks Animation.

To mark the launch of the highly-anticipated new Dog Man graphic novel, Scholastic announced today its campaign to celebrate the joy of reading which includes “Dog Man Day” events in stores, schools, libraries, and major conventions and venues around the world. Highlights of upcoming events, community outreach, free comics, and exclusive Dog Man giveaways include:

• The month of March kicks off with the release of the anniversary edition of Dav Pilkey’s The Adventures of Captain Underpants featuring an all-new bonus 32-page Dog Man comic, Dog Man and the League of Misfits. This special edition marks 25 ½ years since the launch of the phenomenally popular Captain Underpants series which has more than 90 million copies in print to date with translations in 43 languages. 
• To celebrate the publication of Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea and the return of Dog Man on stage, the cast of Dog Man: The Musical will make a special appearance at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City in late February, as well as a special performance and book giveaway for kids from New York City Title 1 schools in attendance at New World Stages on March 30th. This special performance is part of TheaterWorksUSA’s not-for-profit mission and “Cause for Applause” Fund that makes theater accessible for all children. 
• Starting March 28th and continuing throughout the spring, national retailers Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Books-a-Million, and independent bookstores will host “Dog Man Day” celebrations throughout North America. Additionally, multiple Dog Man costume characters will make “surprise and delight” appearances at major venues and conventions throughout the year. To find a “Dog Man Day” celebration near you, visit www.celebratedogman.com and click on the Epic Event locator. 
• To encourage community engagement and bring families together to celebrate reading, Scholastic has created thousands of “Supa Epic Event Kits” for public and school libraries hosting “Dog Man Day” events. Each kit is filled with fun giveaways including “Dive into Reading with Dog Man” collectible posters, comic creators, and more. To access free downloadable activities online, visit www.celebratedogman.com.
• Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated a 16-page original comic, Wally’s World, which will be available for free* exclusively at independent bookstores in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. Target and Barnes & Noble will offer exclusive editions of Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea featuring free trading cards and colorable pull-out poster respectively.  (*Limited quantities, while supplies last)
• Scholastic Book Fairs, in partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund, will distribute free copies of Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, to 25,000 students and teachers in Title 1 schools. The giveaway is part of the Fund’s “If You Give a Child a Book…” literacy campaign, which provides free book fairs for low-income students in The E.W. Scripps Company’s 41 markets around the U.S. The Fund is a leader in supporting childhood literacy, journalism education, and community giving. The free book giveaway to underserved students is made possible by and courtesy of Dav Pilkey. 
• To celebrate reading and bring excitement to tens of thousands of classrooms, Scholastic Book Clubs, for the first time ever, will be distributing Dog Man Day celebration kits in its distinctive Book Club boxes specially designed with Dav Pilkey’s iconic characters. 
• On May 6th “Free Comic Book Day,” comic bookstores will be giving away copies of a free comic featuring characters from both Dog Man and Captain Underpants series. 
• More exciting news about Dav Pilkey’s books will be announced on Dav Pilkey’s Epic Comic Club, a free online platform where kids can create their own comics in a safe environment, and access exclusive content including Dav Pilkey’s read-aloud and how-to-draw videos, and more. Launched in August 2022, Dav Pilkey’s Epic Comic Club has reached kids, parents, caregivers, and educators in 153 countries to date.

About Dog Man

The Dog Man series follows the hilarious adventures of the “Supa Buddies”: Dog Man, a lovable canine superhero, and his friends Li’l Petey, a curious kitten who embodies love, optimism, and hope, and 80-HD, a robot who expresses himself best through his art. With each Dog Man book, readers see the growth and development of the main narrators George and Harold through their comics. Their artwork, grammar, as well as their spelling improve as the series progresses. The series explores universally positive messages including love, empathy, kindness, compassion, and striving to become a better version of one’s self, while it also tackles more complex themes including loss, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. In Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, the book delves into the themes of friendship, working together, and doing good—all with Dav Pilkey’s trademark humor and heart. All ten books in the Dog Man series published to date have clinched the #1 spot on the bestseller list.  

About Dav Pilkey

The publication of Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea marks Dav Pilkey’s 37 years of writing and illustrating award-winning and bestselling books for children. When Dav Pilkey was a kid, he was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Dav was so disruptive in class that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway every day. Luckily, Dav loved to draw and make up stories and spent his time in the hallway creating his own original comic books – the very first adventures of Dog Man and Captain Underpants. In college, Dav met a teacher who encouraged him to write and illustrate for kids. He took her advice and created his first book, World War Won, which won a national competition in 1986. Dav made many other books before being awarded a Caldecott Honor for The Paperboy (1996). In 2002, Dav published his first full-length graphic novel for kids The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby which was an instant national bestseller. He has published more than seventy books for children, including the bestselling Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic Club graphic novels. Dav's stories are semi-autobiographical and explore universal themes that celebrate friendship and the triumph of the good-hearted. For more about Dav Pilkey and his books visit //mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.

About Scholastic

For more information about Scholastic, visit our mediaroom at //mediaroom.scholastic.com/

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Contacts:

Charisse Meloto, VP Global Brand Publicity, cmeloto@scholastic.com

Nikole Kritikos/Canada, nkritikos@scholastic.ca

Penelope Daukes/UK, pdaukes@scholastic.co.uk

Sharon Turner/Australia and New Zealand, Sharon_turner@scholastic.com.au