Dog Man

It surprised me.

I put off reading this book because it just did not appeal to me. A superhero with the body of a human and the head of a dog? And yet, the books are immensely popular. So I gave it a shot. A few pages in, and I was hooked! The book tells the adventures of Dog Man, the world’s most greatest cop. (I won’t give away how he becomes Dog Man, because that is a fun part of the story.) I would HIGHLY recommend this book for all 6-8 year old kids (especially boys) who are reluctant readers, and all kids in general. (and adults like me)

What I liked: absolutely everything. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and imaginative. The characters are fun and unique. The stories are positively silly and absolutely entertaining. show more Plus, there are some “flip-o-rama” pages where the reader gets to flip the page back-and-forth to see the characters do some action. (so fun)

What I didn’t like: nothing really. There is a bit of poor grammar, but it makes sense as the story is being “written” by a little kid.

Overall, an absolute delight.

5 out of 5 stars show less

This was okay for me, and I rate it more 3.5 than 3. The writing flowed well, I didn't have a problem with following the story. I liked Jolie for the most part, but I did roll my eyes a little bit when things went sideways and she was actually surprised by it. Mal told her from the start what was what, and even though he was initially a jerk about it, he was honest up front. Mal was okay, but I thought he was a jerk for no good reason when Jolie hadn't been anything but nice to him. I thought they made a good couple when Mal let himself be happy. It was nice to see him work on himself before he made a decision regarding Jolie. It sucked for her, but it was better in the end. They do get a HFN ending, but I would have liked a longer look show more into their future. This was a first for me from this author, but I would read her again.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. show less

Checked this out just because it seems to be so popular with the kiddies at the library, and I can certainly see how the wild energy and dumb scatological humor would appeal to them. Doesn't do much for me, though I am impressed by the unexpected darkness of Dog Man's origin and spent way too much time doing the Flip-E-Rama pages. I worry this might grow on me if I tried a second volume.

Best part: cameos by Pilkey's Big Dog and Little Dog. I read those board books to my daughter hundreds of times and never ever tired of them.

I’m always slightly conflicted about how much I enjoy Dav Pilkey’s work. It’s funny and engaging and definitely a hit with reluctant readers but the misspelling bugs me on a visceral level. That being said, I am increasingly of the opinion that we should adopt “laffs” as the official spelling.

Four tales of delightfully silly crime fighting as police hound/human hybrid Dog Man fights the evil genius of Petey the Cat. (Could this be Batman v. Catwoman as imagined by the scatological humor of two impudent first grade boys? – Who cares! It’s full color fun filled with Flip-O-Rama that proves that justice and reading always triumph over evil and ignorance!

Dog Man is a hilarious and action-packed graphic novel that combines the best of Dav Pilkey’s humor with a heartwarming story. The mix of a police officer and his loyal canine into one crime-fighting hero makes for a unique and creative concept. The colorful illustrations, “flip-o-rama” action pages, and laugh-out-loud moments make it perfect for reluctant readers and kids who love comics. Beneath the silliness, there are positive messages about kindness, perseverance, and embracing what makes you different. A fun and engaging read that sets the stage for a fantastic series.

A goofy GN that middle graders will love (by the author of Captain Underpants). It begins when a cop and his dog are dying (after a bomb blows up—I didn't much care for that considering terrorist attacks) and the only way to save them is to attach the dog's head to the man's body. It has everything from a giant vacuum that eats Dog Man to an evil mayor to invisibility sprays to robotic cops and "supa ears" and "weenie wars." At one point Petey (the villian cat) destroys all the books in the world "and people started getting really dumb." The examples were hilarious, although I think we could have done without the hand-held poop and drawing of a naked butt. (Some kids will want the book only for that page.) There are also pages you're show more supposed to flip back and forth to make it look like the cartoons are animated, but judging by those who checked out the book before me, that only seems to result in torn pages. Kids won't get it, but I laughed out loud at "Philly, don't be a gyro! Don't be a fool with your life!" A bonus: The last few pages show step-by-step instructions for drawing the main characters. (One more note: The misspellings were "cute"—e.g., "You reeka!" and "steak-out"—but since this book will most likely appeal to kids reading below grade level, it's not going to help improve their vocabulary or spelling, which is usually a benefit of independent reading choice.) show less