Dav Pilkey's Dog Man is the series that turns non-readers into readers, and then immediately raises a logistical problem: there are a lot of them, the spin-off shares characters, and the covers all look alike on a shelf.

Here is the order, plus the two questions that actually come up at the bookshop.

The short answer

Start with Dog Man, book one, and read by number. You do not need Captain Underpants first, and Cat Kid Comic Club comes after book eight.

Does the order matter?

More than it looks. Each book is a complete story, so a child who starts at book six will follow it — but the running jokes build, characters change sides, and Lil Petey's arc runs straight through the series. Reading in order is noticeably more rewarding.

That said, do not fight it. If the library has book nine and your reader wants book nine, that is a win. They will fill in the gaps themselves, usually within a week or two of pocket money.

Dog Man books in order

  1. Dog Man
  2. Unleashed
  3. A Tale of Two Kitties
  4. and Cat Kid
  5. Lord of the Fleas
  6. Brawl of the Wild
  7. For Whom the Ball Rolls
  8. Fetch-22
  9. Grime and Punishment
  10. Mothering Heights
  11. Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea
  12. The Scarlet Shedder
  13. Big Jim Begins
  14. Big Jim Believes

Where Cat Kid Comic Club fits

Cat Kid Comic Club is a spin-off starring Lil Petey and his frog students. It begins after Dog Man: Fetch-22, book eight, and is best read once your reader already knows those characters. It is also structurally odd on purpose — comics within comics, in a mix of styles — which some children adore and others bounce off.

  1. Cat Kid Comic Club
  2. Perspectives
  3. On Purpose
  4. Collaborations
  5. Influencers

Does Captain Underpants come first?

No, and this trips up a lot of parents. Captain Underpants is Pilkey's earlier series, and Dog Man is presented as a comic drawn by George and Harold, its two main characters. That is a nice joke if you know it and completely invisible if you do not.

So read them in whichever order appeals. Captain Underpants is more chapter book than comic, with more text per page, and tends to suit a slightly older or more confident reader despite looking younger.

  1. The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Color Edition
  2. Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets: Color Edition
  3. Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space: Color Edition
  4. Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants: Color Edition
  5. Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman: Color Edition
  6. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 1: The Night of the Nasty Nostril Nuggets: Color Edition
  7. Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy, Part 2: The Revenge of the Ridiculous Robo-Boogers: Color Edition
  8. Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People: Color Edition
  9. Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers: Color Edition
  10. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers: Color Edition
  11. Captain Underpants and the Tyrannical Retaliation of the Turbo Toilet 2000: Color Edition
  12. Captain Underpants and the Sensational Saga of Sir Stinks-A-Lot: Color Edition

A note for parents who are unsure about it

Dog Man is silly, full of deliberate misspellings, and heavy on toilet humor. It is also genuinely well made: the plotting is tight, the jokes are layered, and it deals with loyalty, second chances and what makes someone good more seriously than the cover suggests.

If you are worried the misspellings will teach bad habits, they are framed as George and Harold's writing, not the book's — children read them as a joke, not a model.

Keep browsing

Every book above has a page in our catalog. If Dog Man has landed, our graphic novels for tweens guide is the natural next step, and books for reluctant readers covers more in the same vein.