So many parents fret to me about their kids always wanting to read Dav Pilkey books (because they're "not real books") assuming I will agree with them, and their expressions when I tell them I'm a children's author with a literature degree and I think they're sophisticated and brilliant 💩 - ThreadSky

dylanmeconis.bsky.social • 20 days ago

So many parents fret to me about their kids always wanting to read Dav Pilkey books (because they're "not real books") assuming I will agree with them, and their expressions when I tell them I'm a children's author with a literature degree and I think they're sophisticated and brilliant 💩

Reposted from Adrianna Cuevas

Oof.

Comments

belfegordo.bsky.social•20 days ago

I remember that when I was like 6 or 7 I was the only one on the class that my teacher allowed to get Captain Underpants books from the school library, because I was the only one he knew that had enough reading level for them and wasn't picking them only because "ha ha underpants".

dylanmeconis.bsky.social•20 days ago

In fairness, underpants ARE hilarious

daniduck.bsky.social•20 days ago

Dav Pilkey gets my kids to read, so his books are brilliant in my books.

raggedyrobin.bsky.social•20 days ago

I honestly love how Dav Pilkey has impacted multiple generations now. For me it was the Dragon books and Captain Underpants and now kids go nuts over Dogman. It's consistently at the top of the best selling comics charts and for good reason!

eclecticclay.com•20 days ago

Dav Pilkey's books are incredible, especially the Dragon books.

patricialupien.bsky.social•20 days ago

I really didn’t think we’d have to bring back the “Zap Pow Bang! Comics are real books too!” Headlines But here we are . :(

rachelrcreates.bsky.social•20 days ago

Pilkey's books are sophisticated and brilliant - I agree! Puts me in mind of the subversive, witty humor hidden in the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Breaks my heart. My 4YO, 6YO, and I spent last summer reading CU every afternoon together. One of the best moments of my entire life.

rachelrcreates.bsky.social•20 days ago

Plus - they're inspired to write their own comics now! 6YO writes the words and then hands the page to 4YO to draw the illustrations. I mean, could I hope for anything more as a parent?

mjfgates.bsky.social•19 days ago

Not only doing art, but collaborating on it? You must've done something right.

rachelrcreates.bsky.social•18 days ago

We definitely encourage communication and collaboration, but they're also totally inspired by Pilkey. George writes the words and Harold draws the pictures in their Tree House Comix, so it's been easy for the kiddos to imagine two artists working together.

dylanmeconis.bsky.social•20 days ago

I think comics often make parents feel out of their depth – ie, less than perfectly literate themselves – and so they reactively dismiss them as "not real reading" because THEY can't read them with perfect ease.

robink.bsky.social•18 days ago

I support them for this reason, I can’t understand them, but I know I’m weird

rachelrcreates.bsky.social•20 days ago

I think you're definitely on to something there. I'm floored by how many people consider picture books real books (as long as you're the "appropriate" age), but don't see that graphic novels and comics are - in many ways - longform picture books.

keenaiskander.bsky.social•18 days ago

One of my childhood friends and her husband teach classes to young children on how to write comics. Also just how to write. I love them 😍

nileoart.rip•20 days ago

Dav Pilkey fueled my obsession with reading for years! I would hide away in the library most lunch hours, find a random book that seemed interesting, and just read and read and read-- and it all started with trying to read every single Captain Underpants book available (only 4 when I started!)

nileoart.rip•20 days ago

hell most of the books on this list were available to me and were probably what occupied most of my bookshelf during elementary school but that didn't take away from my reading ability which was accelerated for my age due to how much I read, from Dav Pilkey to R.L. Stine and beyond to Bram Stoker

rachelrcreates.bsky.social•20 days ago

Yes - this! My 6YO is supposed to read 20 min every day for homework. I've never once had to "enforce" this, because he is so happily reading beyond that amount on his own. Pilkey and super hero comics and dinosaur encyclopedias and biographies. Anything he can get his hands on.

jbigzz.bsky.social•20 days ago

I remember back in HS i wanted to write my senior literature paper on a graphic novel and the teacher rejected it. They said I let you slide on the midterm paper but not this one.

noahschmoah.bsky.social•20 days ago

Any kid would look at the phrase "nutritious book" and immediately know it means boring as shit.

raire.bsky.social•19 days ago

My younger brother didn't want to read until my mom got him Captain Underpants books from the library when I was a preteen. I think there were max two or three at the time, but he enjoyed them and it helped him get into reading for fun. We've always been grateful for them

rds773.bsky.social•20 days ago

My kid rails regularly about not being allowed to read graphic novels for independent reading at school and this is a kid who devours 400 page novels on the regular

(Me, I’m happy to support their habit because then I get to borrow them)

dylanmeconis.bsky.social•20 days ago

It's called INDEPENDENT READING come ON

rds773.bsky.social•20 days ago

They’re also required to write a report on what they read so now kiddo is strategically selecting which books fit the criteria with the least work

Then they come home and read everything else

We’re all exhausted by that class

dylanmeconis.bsky.social•20 days ago

Dear lord. Like calling something an All You Can Eat Buffet and then it's just fiber biscuits and you have to chew each bite 100 times. :|

rds773.bsky.social•19 days ago

(Read this to kiddo and they exclaimed “I agree! With all of it!”)

wyrdlittleguy.bsky.social•20 days ago

Dav Pilkeys story really resonates with me as a kid who was always kicked out of class for not doing work and spent that time drawing, and got my drawings taken away constantly :’)

wyrdlittleguy.bsky.social•20 days ago

Drawing books?!