So, I’m a bit particular about what I read. I favor prose and description over plot, character over conflict. John Milton’s Paradise Lost is the greatest achievement of English writing. No American writer will ever top the beauty of Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing. Thrilling page-turners aren’t my thing—give me poetry. And with all this literary snobbery in mind, let me thoroughly and unabashedly heap praise on the Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey.
First, a little in-universe context. Dog Man is a book-within-a-book series, “written” by George and Harold, the mischievous heroes of Pilkey’s zany Captain Underpants series. Dog Man was the duo’s first foray into comic making, and we’re better people for it. The titular character has, like all super heroes, an interesting origin story: the city’s best cop and best police dog are injured in an explosion. The dog’s body is badly injured, but his head is intact; his human partner’s injuries are the exact opposite. A nurse suggests a reasonable way to save both—sew the dog’s head on the man’s body. Thus, Dog Man, crime fighter extraordinaire.
My reasons for liking this series are myriad. The writing and artwork progresses as George and Harold “age.” The artwork improves from book to book, and the jokes really gain sophistication as the series moves along. George and Harold’s 5th grade teacher introduces them to classic literature (Call of the Wild, East of Eden, etc) and the two roll this newfound elegance into their own writing. The book puns in the Dog Man titles are amazing: A Tale of Two Kitties, Brawl of the Wild, and (launching at this year’s book festival!) For Whom the Ball Rolls. But there’s also a nice dose of gross boy humor. You can imagine the jokes around the word duty.
I asked an expert to weigh in on this. According to my 9-year-old son, Dog Man “is hilarious, silly, and fun. Dav Pilkey is one of my favorite writers and Dog Man is my favorite of his characters because he’s just so funny and goofy. I can’t get enough!” And I agree with James wholeheartedly. The series is clever but not cloying, valuable without being overly didactic. We learn lessons about humanity, family, belonging, and love. “The mind is it’s own place,” says John Milton, “and can make a hell of heaven, a heaven of hell.” And, there are poop jokes. Everyone wins.
Dog Man art by James
Dav Pilkey will be launching his “Do Good” tour at the Mississippi Book Festival on Saturday, August 17. He will be speaking at 9:30 a.m. in the Galloway Sanctuary.
When two hungry dinosaurs travel from the age of the dinosaurs to the future in a time machine, the time machine lands in the drive through lane of a fast-food restaurant called “Burger Town.” The dinosaurs are amazed by all the food that can be found everywhere! As they chorus: “THE FOOD COMES TO US!” The T. Rexes go on a jaunt around town, scaring the townspeople (unintentionally) while eating everything from pizza to noodles. When the police show up to arrest the dinosaurs, they scatter, running through a donut festival and back to the “magic egg,” (a.k.a. the time machine). While inside the time machine, they can’t figure out a way to travel back to their own time, and the green dinosaur wails, “I didn’t get a donut!” What they don’t know is that the time machine is voice activated. The time machine says, “I didn’t quite get that. Did you say… ‘I want to dance with King Tut’?”
Angie Thomas, New York Times Bestselling author of the Black Lives Matter young adult novel 
This picture panel features THREE illustrators (Charles Waters, Don Tate, Sarah Jane Wright) and two collaborative projects. The first of the collaborative projects, Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship is by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, who write letters back and forth between their fifth grade selves is a powerful look at race and friendship. In 
Lions and Liars
There’s a plethora of stories for kids set in the South, from Southern Gothic fairy tale (
With a Caldecott Honor under its belt, No, David! has become a fixture in households around the country for its quick and funky drawing style and light-hearted humor. Meet David, a typical young boy who just can not seem to keep out of trouble. This treasure is based on author David Shannon’s first autobiography that he wrote at just five years old. Delve into the sometimes chaotic world of No, David! with a little bit of humor and get ready for trouble!
In the sequel to How I Became a Pirate (which is arguably better than the original), David Shannon arrives again on this list for even more fantastic illustrations and with Melinda Long’s funny storytelling, this duo is bound to hit it out of the park. With a title that good, how can you pass it up? Jeremy and the crew are back at it again in the quest of babysitting his baby sister and (somehow) also finding treasure!
Has your toddler ever been grumpy over absolutely nothing? This book is for you. Jim Panzee, the title monkey, is just having a grumpy day and can’t seem to get out of his sour mood. Follow this adorable character and his equally charming friends in the quest of not being so grumpy.
Ian Falconer’s series of books details the life of Olivia, a young pig with a sassy attitude who might not be so different from most young human girls. Girls can relate to her and parents can laugh a all of her shenanigans and wild stories that seem oh-so-familiar. In the books, Olivia strives to be different and stand out against the crowd, her dreams filled with applause and encores from a packed audience. The Olivia books are charming, entertaining, and a joy to read with young girls.
How Do Dinosaurs is great for young boys and girls who love dinosaurs and parents who want books in a series that have concepts such as love, friends, pets, school, bedtime, etc. With funny and beautiful illustrations, one can’t help but be sucked into this fun, not so imaginary world where dinosaurs rule.
Any explanation needed? Where The Wild Things Are is the PERFECT book for any child. It’s a classic, wonderful for both girls and boys, and a way for parents to reminisce about their own childhood. The story is magical, enjoyable, and has an ending to warm anyone’s heart. The art paired with the spectacular writing allows the reader (or readers) to be fully immersed in the story as if they are walking beside its main character, Max, all along. Let yourself go wild with this spectacular classic, bound to keep moving down throughout the generations.
I’ll end this list with one of my favorite children’s books I have read this summer, focusing on the best book of the series. Ada Twist, Scientist along with Iggy Peck, Architect and Rosie Revere, Engineer are possibly the cutest children books I have ever had the privilege to read, and that is a lot coming from me, a person who probably says the word “cute” more times a day than I would like to admit. There is just something about these books that I cant help but adore–the way the rhyming in the books flows and creates such an amazing voice in the books is almost magical. The illustrations are unique and creative, and seem to have been done with care. I also love the adding of a main character of color in the series with Ada Twist, Scientist. The book seems to be the most “polished” book of the series, the story engages the reader, the colors in the illustrations are vibrant, and every child I have read it to adore it.
Where are you from, Rachel, and what is your background in relation to writing children’s books?
Where are you from, Zoey, and what is your background in relation to illustrating children’s books?
This book shows love’s many and varied journey through the world. The narrative voice in this book speaks to the child and leads the young reader by the hand to show examples of love that a child may not recognize. The images de la Peña uses to describe love are from the child’s point of view. The very first illustration is from the child’s vantage point in a crib looking up at his/her parents, with the words
Johnny, a poor, kind, young boy, is forced one day by his cruel grandfather to sell his pet chicken at the market. In doing so, he unexpectedly comes into possession of some magical seeds. From the seeds grow a flower, and upon eating the flower, Johnny is granted the ability to speak with animals. Led by a skunk named Susy, Johnny and all the animals in the land set out on a quest to rescue a stolen prince, and with some luck, perhaps cross paths with a familiar chicken.
This story began as a piece of oral tradition. It was as a story told out loud, maybe over the course of several nights by an adult to children. I would hope the finished book is used in much the same way. While the language might be difficult for a child under the age of 9 or 10, I believe that children of all ages will be able to appreciate the story–its rhythm, its humor, and its message–especially when told directly to them by a parent, or grandparent, or some other important adult figure in their life.
