Dog Man Tops The Charts: Dav Pilkey’s "Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder" Is #1 Bestselling Book around The World

Dog Man is top dog and it’s a global sweep! The bestselling Dog Man graphic novel series by author and illustrator Dav Pilkey powers up to the #1 spot with Dog Man: The Scarlett Shedder topping bestseller lists worldwide. The newest title in the global publishing phenomenon is the #1 bestselling book overall (children’s and adult books combined) for its first week of on-sale in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and is the #1 bestselling children’s book in the U.K. The Scarlet Shedder also swept the top spots on North American bestseller lists including USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Indie Bound, Toronto Star, Vancouver Sun, and The Globe and Mail. According to Circana Bookscan which tracks 85% of U.S. trade print books sold, The Scarlet Shedder sold more than a quarter of a million print copies in its first week of on-sale in the U.S. alone. In Australia and New Zealand, sales for The Scarlet Shedder grew 9% compared to the previous Dog Man book, and in Canada, sales are trending 10% higher. In the U.K., as reported by The Bookseller, “first week sales for The Scarlet Shedder were 48% higher” than for the last Dog Man installment, making it “the most successful hardback release for the series in recent times.” 

Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade, said “The growth of Dog Man is extraordinary. Not only have we seen robust sales with the release of The Scarlet Shedder, we also saw a 25% increase in backlist sales for Dog Man in the U.S. With our Dog Man ‘Power Up’ campaign, we have been working closely with retailers and our international publishing partners to make this book release a global publishing event--bringing excitement to bookstores, libraries, schools, and communities everywhere. This is a testament to the incredible appeal and influence of Dav Pilkey’s books with their trademark humor and heart. We are thrilled to see the enthusiasm for the series continue to grow worldwide.”

Since the series launched to critical acclaim seven years ago, Dog Man has more than 60 million copies in print to date and has been translated into 47 languages. In Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, the twelfth book in the series, Dav Pilkey delves into the world of artificial intelligence and introduces A.I. robot villains while making a gripping and comical commentary about the impact of social media. With nonstop adventure featuring fan favorite characters, the story also explores the enduring power of love. The last book in the Dog Man series, Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, released in March of last year, was the #1 bestselling children’s book overall of 2023 in the U.S. Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation announced that the Dog Man movie will be released in theaters worldwide in January 2025. Scholastic also recently announced its “Power Up with Reading” collaboration with Little Free Library which will grant Dog Man-themed Little Free Libraries book-sharing boxes to children and families in underserved communities in all 50 states, with Dav Pilkey donating 50,000 books to support the initiative. Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club series, a spin-off of Dog Man which launched in December 2020, is also a #1 bestseller with translations in 26 languages to date.

About Dog Man

Dav Pilkey has made reading fun for kids with the Dog Man series’ deliberate nods to classic literature featuring titles like Dog Man: A Tale of Two Kitties, Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas, Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, Dog Man: Mothering Heights, among others. The Dog Man series follows the hilarious adventures of the “Supa Buddies”: Dog Man, a lovable canine superhero, and his friends Li’l Petey, a curious kitten who embodies love, optimism, and hope, and 80-HD, a robot who expresses himself best through his art. The series explores universally positive messages including empathy, kindness, and striving to become a better version of one’s self, while it also tackles more complex themes including loss, forgiveness, and self-acceptance. 

About Dav Pilkey

When Pilkey was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now widely known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because of his learning and behavioral issues in school, he was often sent out in the hallway. It was in his elementary school hallway where he created comic books about superheroes that eventually became Captain Underpants and Dog Man. Launched more than 25 years ago, Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series has more than 90 million copies in print, translations in 38 languages, released as a feature film by DreamWorks, as well as an original series on Netflix. TheaterWorksUSA’s musical adaptations of Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club opened to rave reviews, were both New York Times Critics’ Picks, and are currently touring around North America and Australia. Dav Pilkey has created over 70 books for children and was awarded a Caldecott Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. His first graphic novel, The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, was an instant national bestseller published in 2002, fourteen years before the first Dog Man book was released. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books, visit //mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey. 

About Scholastic

For more information about Scholastic, visit our mediaroom at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/