Why My Kids Are So Excited About the New Dog Man Book

As an adult, I eagerly await the release of new books from my favorite authors, and usually pre-order them so they arrive on my doorstep as soon as they’re released. That feeling of anticipation and excitement has carried over to my boys, too, which makes me want to do a happy mom dance.

Of course, one popular author of choice for kids today is Dav Pilkey. He is the creator of wildly popular series such as Captain Underpants and Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot, but the series of his that my boys most eagerly await is Dog Man — which is filled with dogs and cats bubbling with personality, cops and robbers who are always on the move, and plenty of thrills and mischief. Much to my kids’ delight, the highly anticipated new book in the series, Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, is now finally available to order! (Learn more about the series here.)

The books are told through a graphic novel format complete with flip-o-rama pages, in which kids can flip between two pages to create an animation out of the illustrations. Don’t worry: Graphic novels do “count” as real reading! (In fact, here’s why they’re so beneficial for your kids.) The series makes for a fun read-aloud or as an independent read for new readers, and is perfect for both reluctant and voracious readers because it’s just so engaging. 

When I asked my kids what they were most excited about in Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, my 8-year-old exclaimed, "I'm most excited to see if there is a new character in the book and to see if Petey is still going to be working on being good." For context, Petey is a cat who was a main antagonist in the series until his supposed redemption in Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas. "I want to see if Petey will join up with Dog Man," chimed in my 7-year-old.

They have many ideas for what should happen next in the series. Since Dav Pilkey makes the books so accessible and includes directions for drawing the characters in all of the Dog Man books, my kids have created many of their own books featuring all of the beloved characters. (See for yourself how these books have influenced their literacy and fine motor skills!)

To prepare for the book release, my boys also re-read the first six books in the series. It’s so fun to see them fall in love with the characters and storyline all over again.  

And yes, I have already ordered Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, and we’re counting down the days until it arrives. With two mega-fans on my hands, how could I not? 

Connect with Jodie at Growing Book by Book.