NEW YORK, April 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic, the
global children's publishing, education and media company, today
announced that it will launch Cat Kid Comic Club, an all-new
graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey,
author and illustrator of the worldwide bestselling Dog Man series.
Cat Kid Comic Club, a groundbreaking graphic novel that celebrates
creativity and friendship, will be published worldwide
simultaneously in hardcover and e-book on December 1, 2020. The launch of this new series
marks Dav Pilkey's thirty-four years
of publishing bestselling and award-winning books for children in
various formats all with his trademark humor and heart. His
phenomenally popular Captain Underpants series which launched more
than twenty years ago has more than 90 million copies in print and
helped to establish the illustrated chapter book category. The
Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, Pilkey's first graphic novel
published in 2002, was an instant national bestseller. Pilkey was
awarded a Caldecott Honor in 1997 for his picture book The
Paperboy.
Pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling with elements of
comics, photography, painting, claymation, and film animation to
tell one cohesive story, Cat Kid Comic Club is the first
book in a new graphic novel series featuring Pilkey's fan favorite
character Li'l Petey who, along with friends Flippy the Fish and
Molly, try to teach twenty-one baby frogs how to create their own
comics. As the story unwinds with mishaps and hilarity, kids and
families reading together will unleash their own creativity, learn
different art forms and approach to storytelling, and see the
progress, mistakes, and improvements that come with practice and
persistence. The engaging style of Pilkey's graphic novels devoured
by readers around the world is intended to encourage uninhibited
creativity in kids and artists of all ages. His
semi-autobiographical stories explore universal themes that
celebrate friendship, empathy, and the triumph of the
good-hearted.
Author and illustrator Dav Pilkey
said, "I wanted to create a new storyline for Li'l Petey, a
character in the Dog Man series who is based on my mom and who
embodies love, optimism, and hope. In Cat Kid Comic Club,
Li'l Petey keeps his promise to his best friend Molly that they
will teach everyone how to make comics. Together with their new
friends, Li'l Petey and Molly make mistakes but with practice and
persistence, they learn and become better artists. My hope is that
kids everywhere are inspired to write their own stories, appreciate
different ways of thinking and approaching art, and feel empowered
to be creative."
In making the announcement, Ellie
Berger, President, Scholastic Trade, said, "Dog Man has
become a beloved friend of children around the world and as we all
look forward to the new Dog Man book this September, we are
thrilled to share the news of another new Dav Pilkey graphic novel just in time for the
holidays. Dav Pilkey is a brilliant
author and illustrator and with Cat Kid Comic Club, Dav has created
a masterful new adventure that will encourage and inspire readers
and artists of all ages to always be creative."
Dav Pilkey's most recent graphic
novel, Dog Man: Fetch-22, was the #1 bestselling book
overall in the U.S. (children's and adult books combined) for four
straight weeks. Published in December
2019 with a five million copy first printing,
Fetch-22 debuted at the #1 spot on the USA Today, Wall Street Journal,
New York Times, and
Publishers Weekly bestseller lists and continues to dominate
bestseller lists around the U.S. and worldwide. The next Dog Man
book, Dog Man: Grime and Punishment, will be released on
September 1, 2020, to be followed by
the next installment in spring 2021. Since the first Dog Man book
launched to multiple starred reviews in Fall 2016, the series has
more than 30 million copies in print to date with 38 foreign
language editions available. His Captain Underpants series has been
adapted into more than 28 languages, released as a feature film by
DreamWorks as well as an original TV series currently streaming on
Netflix. In 2019, Dav Pilkey was
named one of Fast Company magazine's "Most Productive
People." Publishers Weekly named him "Person of the Year"
and said, "Pilkey is doing more to excite kids about reading than
any author since J.K. Rowling.
About Dav Pilkey
When
Dav Pilkey was a kid, he was
diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Dav was so disruptive in class
that his teachers made him sit out in the hallway every day. Dav
loved to draw and make up stories and spent his time in the hallway
creating his own original comic books—the very first adventures of
Dog Man and Captain Underpants. In college, Dav met a teacher who
encouraged him to illustrate and write. He won a national
competition in 1986 and the prize was the publication of his first
book, World War Won. He made many books for children
including the acclaimed Dragon and the Dumb Bunnies series. In
1998, he received the California Young Reader Medal for Dog
Breath, and in 1997 he won the Caldecott Honor for The
Paperboy. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, published
in 2002, was the first complete graphic novel spin-off from the
Captain Underpants series and debuted at #6 on the USA Today bestseller list for all books,
both adult and children's, and was also a New York Times bestseller. It was followed by
The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung Fu Cavemen from the
Future and Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty
Snatchers, both USA
Today bestsellers. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books,
visit www.scholastic.com/davpilkey or
http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey
About Scholastic
For 100 years, Scholastic Corporation
(NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and intellectual
growth of all children, beginning with literacy. Having earned a
reputation as a trusted partner to educators and families,
Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and distributor of
children's books, a leading provider of literacy curriculum,
professional services, and classroom magazines, and a producer of
educational and entertaining children's media. The Company creates
and distributes bestselling books and e-books, print and
technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12, and other
products and services that support children's learning and
literacy, both in school and at home. With 15 international
operations and exports to 165 countries, Scholastic makes quality,
affordable books available to all children around the world through
school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school
and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn more at
www.scholastic.com.
CAT KID COMIC CLUB
December 1, 2020 | Scholastic;
Graphix | $12.99 | Ages 7 and up
ISBN: 9781338712766 POB
ISBN: 9781338712780 ebook
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SOURCE Scholastic