Dav Pilkey
Dav Pilkey
David Murray "Dav" Pilkey, Jr. is an American author and illustrator of children's literature. Pilkey is the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He also uses the pen names George Beard and Harold Hutchins, which are the names of two of the main characters in the aforementioned series...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChildren's Author
Date of Birth4 March 1966
CityCleveland, OH
CountryUnited States of America
It was there in the hall that I began drawing Captain Underpants, ... Soon I was making my own comic books about him.
The show was really funny and charming, ... And I loved how it seemed like it was just thrown together at the last minute.
I thought it was the coolest thing on TV,
I guess I'm the only guy in the world who would listen to those incredibly offensive songs and think, 'Hey, that guy should be making music for kids,' ... But that's what I thought.
Being an author is fun. It's a great job, because I can stay up as late as I want, and if I feel like taking the day off, I do it. Plus, I get to make up silly stories and draw pictures all day.
I created 'Captain Underpants' when I was in the second grade. I was constantly getting in trouble for being the class clown, so my teacher sent me out into the hallway to punish me. It was there in the hall that I began drawing 'Captain Underpants'. Soon I was making my own comic books about him.
I think every character I've ever come up with has been based on someone or something I've known.
These 'mistakes' occur in my books for a reason. I have an agenda: I'm secretly trying to inspire kids to create their own stories and comics, and I don't want them to feel stifled by 'perfectionism.'
I've learned never to underestimate the sense of humor of a kid, ... But does it matter if the joke flies over a kid's head? No. As long as my girlfriend thinks it's funny, it stays.
My books are just pure escapism for kids.
My freshman English professor at Kent State University in 1984 told me I was a good writer, and she loved all the silly pictures I drew in my notebook. She said I should try writing children's books, and so I did.
Grown-ups do a lot of complaining!
Once I have the story in my head, I write it down. The illustrations usually come last.
I think if you can show a kid that reading can actually be fun, it can make you laugh, inspire imagination - that can make a huge difference, that can help a child who's struggling with reading to really look at it differently.