Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series remains a crowd favorite with many kids. Why? Because they’re weird, quirky, and hilarious adventurous with comic-style illustrations.
I know a boy who reads and rereads the Dog Man books over and over again.
Know any readers like that, too?
Because Dog Man is awesome. (He’s a half-man, half-dog crime fighter!)
And if you don’t have all the books in the series, I highly recommend owning them for lots of rereading!
Dog Man Books (The Complete Series in Order)
So what if you want to help your reader move on to different books in addition to Dog Man?
How about other books that are just as entertaining and fun as Dog Man? Books with craziness, humor, illustrations, and adventure?
Try these books next — and watch the reading magic happen.
*Incidentally, Dog Man is about a Lexile level of 300 – 500, guided reading level P to S, DRA level 34 – 50, depending on the title. The books on this list are similar in reading levels and of course, interest and format.
Books Like Dog Man
Bird and Squirrel on Ice by James Burks
In this hysterical book, Bird’s over-confident, laissez-faire character pairs perfectly with Squirrel’s logical, fearful one. The duo crash land in the Penguin world where Bird is thought to be the “Chosen One” meant to save the penguins from the Great Whale.
Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
My writing teacher’s heart adores this book about encouraging kids to write their own comics! Plus, it’s totally hilarious. Cat Kid teaches a class for the tadpoles about making your own comic books…which doesn’t go well until the tadpoles get excited about failure and get started writing and drawing. If you like a lot of silliness (including potty humor) with great messages about writing, creativity, and persistence, read this book next.
Real Pigeons Fight Crime by Ben Wood
In the first of three silly stories, Rock Pigeon is a crime-fighting pigeon who helps Grandpouter and the other park pigeons solve the problem of the vanishing bread crumbs. Hilarious disguises, charming illustrations, quirky characters, and funny mysteries, this is an entertaining romp that is sure to entice even the most reluctant of readers.
Banana Fox and the Secret Sour Society by James Kochalka
If you like very weird and wild stories like Dog Man, let me introduce you to Banana Fox. The totally ridiculous humor (not potty humor) hits the right spots for so many kids. Banana Fox is a character whose goofy antics to stop the Secret Sour Society will keep you laughing the entire way through this book.
The Case of the Weird Blue Chicken by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Kevin Cornell
Kids know it’s not the blue chicken (who is a bird, not a chicken) who is weird, it’s the chicken squad — they are downright wacky! In this adventure, the chickens are asked to investigate who has stolen the blue bird’s house. And despite the chickens’ inability to actually investigate anything, they do discover the culprit and a solution. Very funny.
Baloney and Friends Going Up! by Greg Pizzoli
Another hilarious graphic novel for growing readers about a group of friends with distinct personalities. From writing a theme song to sleepovers to thinking deep thoughts, this book of stories showcases characters you can’t help but love including Baloney the pig, Bizz the bumblebee, Peanut the horse, and Krabbit the rabbit. Plus, read directions for drawing the characters with emotions in the back.
Hound Heroes: Beware the Claw by Todd H. Doodler, illustrated by Todd Goldman
Get ready for a new SILLY graphic novel for your beginning readers…When a spaceship crash lands, it gives a group of dog friends superpowers…and superhero outfits. Each dog in the group has a unique personality but none of the dogs take their powers seriously at first because they’re too busy wreaking havoc and goofing around. Until…the evil kitties TAKE OVER THE CITY!! Can the Hound Heroes save the day?
Stick Dog by Tom Watson
Stick Dog is hilarious. Why is he called Stick Dog? Because our author/narrator can’t draw. And also, because he likes sticks. The funny cartoonish illustrations make this story of stray dogs easy to read and entertaining series for kids.
Egg or Eyeball? Chick and Brain by Cece Bell
If your Dog Man fan likes weird, quirky, and silly stories, then they will love this book! Brain finds an eyeball. But Chick and Spot try to explain that it’s actually an egg. Back and forth they go with misunderstandings, lessons in manners, and goofiness. What kid who likes Dog Man wouldn’t love this quirky cast of characters and the story’s surprising ending?
Rabbit & Bear: Rabbit’s Bad Habits by Julian Gough & Jim Field
This beginning chapter book is delightfully weird, hilarious, and tender-hearted — just like Dog Man! Neil Gaiman says this book is “a laugh-out-loud story” and I completely agree. There’s a lot to love about this book including the tidbits of science like gravity and a rabbit’s diet (they eat their poop– but only some of their poop!) I also love the thoughtfully developed character arc of Rabbit who begins by stealing Bear’s food and is a rude, know-it-all but becomes self-reflective, repentant, and kind.
Doodle Adventures: The Search for Slimy Space Slugs! by Mike Lowery
This book not only hooks the reader with its space-adventure plot but the hilarious narrator Carl invites YOU to find the missing priceless artifact requiring bravery, heroism, and drawing. Along the journey to retrieve the artifact from Captain Sleezoog (a slug,) you must do your part. So you’ll make sure (by drawing) that you’ve got a spacesuit, you’ve packed everything you need to bring, the rocket design is perfect plus has some silly (bandages!?) extras, and lots more as the adventure ensues. It may sound contrived but it’s a fun, engaging adventure that any kid, artist or not, will love. And there is MORE in the series! Also read The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate!
Bad Guys #1 is a hysterical book! Mr. Wolf invites other bad guys to a meeting with hopes they will join him in being good. Lots of drawings and minimal text make this a sure-bet for first and second-grade readers who like irony and humor. (Note: If you don’t like potty humor, this is not the book series for you.)
The Dragonsitter by Josh Lacey illustrated by Garry Parsons
Written in increasingly funny (and alarming) letters we learn that Uncle Morton left his pet dragon for Edward and his mom and sister to watch — with no directions!! The dragon poops in their shoes, eats their pet bunny, and causes all kinds of destruction which become the topics of Edward’s letters to his nowhere-to-be-found uncle. Finally, Edward hears from his uncle who suggests feeding the dragon chocolate. Will Edward’s mom lose her mind? Will the chocolate work?
Blue, Barry, & Pancakes by Dan & Jason
If you want a graphic novel adventure, try this quirky misadventure story that begins with a beach ball. Blue the worm doesn’t want to share the beach ball with Barry and Pancakes because of what inevitably happens– they lose it. (Well, it’s swallowed by a whale. It is a silly cause & effect story, where one disaster leads to another even into outer space and a volcano but ends with a sweet celebration of friendship.
Kids who like Dog Man will love this book with rye humor. It pairs two of the most unlikely of traveling companions together– a worm and a bird. The bird, Laurence, thinks he’s a flamingo and wants to journey to Lake Nakuru National Park where the other flamingos live. The worm, Marcus, besides worrying he’s about to be breakfast, thinks that Laurence looks like a chicken. As they travel “the world”, the two develop an unexpected, lovely friendship.
Hilarious — and weird and kooky and very creative! Stinkbomb and his sister, Ketchup-Face think that the badgers (“BAD” is in their name!) stole Stinkbomb’s $20. They embark on the craziest of adventures to get back the $20 including meeting King Toothbrush Weasel who they’ll help to rid the island of the badgers. If you like silly stories, this book is for you!
Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst, illustrated by Lane Smith
Lulu is a demanding daughter and she WANTS a pet dinosaur. Will she learns her valuable lesson in this hysterical story? You’ll laugh through this one, I promise!
Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja by Anh Do
Nelson is a nerdy and likable main character who wakes up on his 10th birthday with perfect vision and… ninja moves! His mum and grandma explain that like his missing fisherman dad before him, Nelson is the last ninja in the world — and he’s destined to save the world. He immediately gets to use his powers for good on a field trip when ginormous evil spiders attack the group of kids. Nelson and his cousin Kenny stop the spiders but just as they’re leaving, they notice something very suspicious. Action-packed and funny with appealing illustrations and fantastic characters.
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