BIO

When Dav Pilkey was a kid, his teachers thought he was disruptive, "behaviorally challenged," and in serious need of a major attitude adjustment.

When he wasn't writing sentences in the detention room, he could usually be found sitting at his private desk out in the hallway. There he spent his time writing and drawing his own original comic books about a superhero named Captain Underpants.

Dav's teachers told him, "You'd better straighten up, young man, because you can't spend the rest of your life making silly books."

Dav was not a very good listener!

But seriously...
Dav Pilkey has written and illustrated several popular award-winning books for children. THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, which has nearly one million copies in print, was an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists and a Publishers Weekly "Cuffie" Award winner for the Funniest Book of the Year; DOG BREATH was awarded the California Young Reader Medal; THE PAPERBOY was chosen as a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Pilkey also illustrated the IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award-winning DUMB BUNNIES books.

Dav Pilkey and his dog live in Oregon.

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AUTHOR TALK

August 2003

Dav Pilkey has illustrated numerous award-winning picture books, including DOG BREATH, THE PAPERBOY and the Dumb Bunnies books. His first adventure novel, THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS, was published in 1997 to rave reviews and was followed by four more books in the series, all of which were national bestsellers.

In this interview Dav talks about where the idea for Captain Underpants originated, why the books in this series are so unique, and his advice for young people who want to be writers.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Captain Underpants?

DP: I invented Captain Underpants back when I was in the second grade. I was the "class clown" and got in trouble constantly for making my friends laugh. To punish me, my teacher would send me out into the hallway. Before long, I was spending so much time in the hall that my teacher moved a desk out there for me. I had a lot of spare time on my hands sitting out there in the hall, so I began drawing pictures, writing stories, and making my own comic books. Quite a few of those comic books were about a super hero named Captain Underpants.

Q: Why did you decide to have the battle scenes done in flip book style, and not just describe them?

DP: I thought the "Flip-O-Rama" would be cooler than just a "blow-by-blow" description of the action. When I was a kid, my friends and I used to make "Flip-O-Ramas" all the time in school (but back then we called them "Flip-Actions"). We thought these pictures were funny, but they used to really irritate our teachers. My dream is that kids everywhere will learn to make their own "Flip-O-Ramas" and use them to annoy humorless grown-ups throughout the world!

Q: Who is your favorite superhero (besides Captain Underpants)?

DP: Underdog.

Q: Is there any villain Capt. Underpants couldn't defeat?

DP: Nope. Underwear conquers all!

Q: So, what were you like in school?

DP: Bored, hyperactive, and a general nuisance.

Q: Were you encouraged to write and illustrate as a child?

DP: Yes --- by my classmates. I also got a lot of encouragement from my parents.

Q: Do you still have any of the stories/comics you did from when you were a kid?

DP: Unfortunately, I don't have any of the Captain Underpants comics. Many of them were ripped up by my teachers, and others were "borrowed" by my friends. They'd take the comics home and lose them, or spill stuff on them, and bring them back weeks later with pages missing and stuff. The only comics I still have were about another super hero I invented called "Water Man." My parents wouldn't let me bring those comics to school because they knew they'd get trashed. I'm glad they made me keep them in a safe place, because I still have all 20 issues!

Q: What advice do you have for kids who want to be writers?

DP: Try to spend as much time watching television as you can. (Grown-ups HATE it when I say that. It's fun!).

Q: Where do you get your ideas?

DP: North Carolina.

Q: Which of your books are you most proud of? Why?

DP: I think I'm most proud of the Captain Underpants books, the Dumb Bunnies books, and Kat Kong and Dogzilla. They're my funniest books.

Q: What's your favorite thing to read? Why?

DP: I like cartoon books and humorous short stories/essays. Why? Because I have a short attention span.

Q: What do you say to people who don't like your books because the characters "misbehave"?

DP: I don't say anything to them. I just stick out my tongue and make rude noises.

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