Dav Pilkey

Sue Denim redirects here. For the member of Robots in Disguise, see Sue Denim (musician).

Dav Pilkey
Born	David Pilkey March 4, 1966 (1966-03-04) (age 45) Cleveland, Ohio
Pen name	Sue Denim, George Beard, Harold Hutchins
Occupation	Writer and Illustrator
Nationality	American
Period	1987–present
Genres	Children's literature
Notable work(s)	Captain Underpants, Super Diaper Baby, The Dumb Bunnies, The Paperboy, God Bless the Gargoyles
pilkey.com

David "Dav" Pilkey (also known by the pseudonym, Sue Denim) was born on March 4, 1966, is a popular author and illustrator of children's literature. Dav Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He also uses the pen names, George Beard and Harold Hutchins. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Biography

Dav Pilkey was born on March 4, 1966^[1] in Cleveland, Ohio to Barbara and David Pilkey, Sr.^[2] He has one older sister, Cindy. In elementary school in Elyria, Ohio, he was diagnosed with and suffers from ADHD and dyslexia. Pilkey was frequently reprimanded for his behavior in class and, thus, usually sat at a desk in the school hallway, where he created the Captain Underpants character.^[3] Pilkey entered his first book, World War Won, in a national competition for student authors and won in his age category. The award included the book's publishing in 1987.^[2]

The odd spelling of his first name came from a period of employment in a Pizza Hut, when the "e" was omitted from his nametag. Even though it is spelled Dav, it is pronounced "Dave" (rhyming with cave and brave).^[4]

After moving to Washington, he met Sayuri, a professional musician and owner of his favorite Japanese sushi restaurant.^[5] The two began dating and were eventually married in a private ceremony in 2005.

Pilkey took a break from writing for a few years to care for his terminally ill father, but as of March 19, 2010, has signed a deal with Scholastic to release four new books. The first, a graphic novel, The Adventures of Ook and Gluk, Kung-Fu Cavemen From the Future, was released on August 10, 2010. The second, another graphic novel, of which was anticipated for 9 years, "Super Diaper Baby 2: Invasion of the Potty Snatchers", was released on June 28, 2011.

"Considered one of the most popular contemporary authors for readers in elementary school, (Dav Pilkey) is also regarded as a talented artist and inventive humorist as well as a subtle moralist. ...He underscores his works--even at their most outrageous--with a philosophy that emphasizes friendship, tolerance, and generosity and celebrates the triumph of the good-hearted." -The Educational Book & Media Association

Pets

Many of his pets were inspirations for his books. In the books Kat Kong and Dogzilla, the animals pictured are some of Pilkey's actual pets.

Series

Dragon

For the animated television series based on the books, see Dragon (TV series).

• A Friend for Dragon (1991)
• Dragon Gets By (1991)
• Dragon's Merry Christmas (1991)
• Dragon's Fat Cat (1992)
• Dragon's Halloween (1993)

Creature Feature

• Dogzilla (1993)
• Kat Kong (1993)

Kat Kong is a spoof of the story of King Kong, incorporating a cat and mice characters. The book combines photography with paintings, with the story of revealing how the characters Dr. Varmint and Rosie Rodent capture Kat Kong and bring him back to Mousopolis. Dogzilla is also a spoof of the story Godzilla.

Dumb Bunnies

• The Dumb Bunnies (1994)
• The Dumb Bunnies' Easter (1995)
• Make Way for Dumb Bunnies (1996)
• The Dumb Bunnies Go to the Zoo (1997)

Pilkey authored the Dumb Bunnies books under the pseudonym, Sue Denim. He has stated that the series was influenced by The Stupids.

Captain Underpants

• The Adventures of Captain Underpants (1997)
• Attack of the Talking Toilets (1999)
• Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds) (1999)
• Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (2000)
• The Captain Underpants Extra Crunchy Book O' Fun (2001)
• Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman (2001)
• The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby (2002)
• The All New Extra Crunchy Captain Underpants Book O' Fun 2 (2002)
• Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 1 (2003)
• Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy Part 2 (2003)
• Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People (2006)
• The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future (2010)
• Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers (2011)
• Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers (Possibly 2012-2014)

Ricky Ricotta

• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot (2000)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mutant Mosquitos from Mercury (2000)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Voodoo Vultures from Venus (2001)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Mecha Monkeys from Mars (2002)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Jurassic Jackrabbits from Jupiter (2002)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Stupid Stinkbugs from Saturn (2003)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot vs. the Uranium Unicorns from Uranus (2005)
• Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Astro-Activity Book o' Fun (2006)

Big Dog & Little Dog

• Big Dog and Little Dog (1997)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Going for a Walk (1997)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Getting in Trouble (1997)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Wearing Sweaters (1998)
• Big Dog and Little Dog Making a Mistake (1999)
• The Complete Adventures of Big Dog and Little Dog (1999)

Other books

• When Cats Dream
• Moonglow Roll-O-Rama
• The Hallo-Wiener
• Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving
• God Bless the Gargoyles
• Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble With Hally Tosis
• Silly Gooses
• Julius
• The Paperboy
• World War Won

Awards

• 1986: The National Written and Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students, ages 14–19 category, World War Won^[6]
• 1997: Caldecott Honor Award, The Paperboy^[7]
• 1998: California Young Reader Medal, "Dog Breath!: The Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis" published in 1994

References

1. ^ Pilkey.com
2. ^ ^{a b} "Dav Pilkey". Ohio Authors Online. Ohio Center for the Book at Cleveland Public Library. 2003. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928065256/http://www.ohiocenterforthebook.org/OhioAuthors.aspx?id=125&mode=detail. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
3. ^ Nissen, Beth (2000-07-11). "Captain Underpants: The straight poop on a grossly entertaining series of children's books". CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2000/books/news/07/11/captain.underpants/. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
4. ^ "Super Humor: Tales of an 'Under' Achiever". Washington Post: p. C18. 2002-07-03. 
5. ^ "Pilkey.com: Questions and Answers". http://www.pilkey.com/q-and-a.php. 
6. ^ "The National Written & Illustrated by... Awards Contest for Students Winners". Landmark Editions. http://www.landmarkeditions.com/scripts/winners.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 
7. ^ Association for Library Service to Children. "Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books, 1938-Present". American Library Association. http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-08. 

External links

• Dav Pilkey's Extra Crunchy Website o' Fun (official website)

Interviews

• Pilkey, Dav (2000-07-11). Transcript of e-mail interview with Dav Pilkey, author, 'Captain Underpants' series. Interview with Beth Nissen. CNN. http://edition.cnn.com/2000/books/news/07/11/captain.underpants/transcript.html. 
• Pilkey, Dav (2001-08-27). A Hero In Briefs. with Andrea Sachs. Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1000654,00.html. 
• Pilkey, Dav (2003-09-20). The Man Behind Captain Underpants. Interview with Jennifer Ludden. All Things Considered. National Public Radio. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1437841. 

Reviews

• Book Review of Dog Breath (book review on www.launchpadmag.com)

Persondata
Name	Pilkey, David
Alternative names	Pilkey, Dav; Denim, Sue
Short description	United States children's author
Date of birth	March 4, 1966
Place of birth	Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Date of death
Place of death	deceased