It turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks… especially when it involves reading a book. The Children’s Book Council and its charitable arm Every Child a Reader, in conjunction with Scholastic, has named Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man as its anchor for Children’s Book Week this fall. The national literacy event, slated for November 3–9, will kick off the release of the series’ 14th book, Big Jim Believes (Graphix, Nov. 11), as well as introduce a new theme for Book Week’s autumn program and a Get Caught Reading poster designed by Pilkey.

A ‘Super-sized’ Celebration

To expand Book Week’s reach and encourage reading year-round, the CBC team brainstormed literary creators who might generate further inspiration, with Pilkey’s name topping the list. “His books, filled with humor and heart, continue to ignite young readers’ imaginations and foster creativity in classrooms and libraries across the country,” associate executive director Shaina Birkhead told PW.

The CBC joined forces with Pilkey’s publisher Scholastic to develop the “Power Up with Reading” campaign, for which Pilkey has created a Get Caught Reading poster, which showcases Dog Man and Li’l Petey listening attentively as Petey reads aloud to them. “[The poster is] so special that we decided to supersize it to match the Children’s Book Week poster format and make it one of the highlights of this exciting literacy initiative,” Birkhead said.

“Reading is the greatest superpower of all, and I’m grateful to all the teachers, librarians, and independent booksellers who are doing good in their communities. They are the ultimate superheroes,” Pilkey said in a statement. Since the series launched in 2016, there are more than 70 million copies of the Dog Man books in print to date, with translations in 48 languages. In the U.S., the books continually top the bestseller lists.

Pilkey will also donate up to 50,000 books to help support Book Week celebrations across the country. Each participating school, library, bookstore, and community center will receive a “Power Up with Reading: Dog Man and Friends Epic Event Kit,” containing a poster, activity guide, giveaways, and a Dav Pilkey starter library. Venues that are already part of the CBC member network will automatically receive the kit in September. For further details and to apply for a chance to receive the kit, visit the Every Child a Reader website.