Kids love books by Dav Pilkey and want more books like Dog Man, or Captain Underpants. Yes, his humor and stories can be over the top, but that’s the fun of them! He empathizes with kids’ struggles in school, their frustration with being told what to do all the time by adults and he understands their humor. Some parents and educator’s don’t “get” books like Dog Man and Captain Underpants, and, unfortunately, dismiss the books as promoting bad behavior or being anti-authority. But I argue that is a narrow-minded approach! I say embrace Dav Pilkey’s books!
Once your kids have recovered from laughing so hard their sides hurt over the Dog Man series and need to fill the waiting time before the next installment comes out, pack up their library book bags will some of these funny books similar to Dog Man!
I’ve included a variety of graphic novels, hybrids as well as traditional chapter books. All are laugh-out-loud funny!(Although no one can replace Pilkey!) (Note: this post contains affiliate links.)
Books Like Dog Man
Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat
by Johnny Marciano
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Klawde is so wonderfully evil and over the top! Wyss-Kuzz, the evil alien warlord has travelled to Earth, the worst place in the universe! He ends up in the backyard of Raj Bannerjee, a sixth grader and reluctant transplant from Brooklyn to nature-filled Oregon. Hijinks and melodrama ensue. The narration alternates between Raj and Klawde (as Wyss-Kuzz is now called).
Thundercluck! Chicken of Thor
by Paul Tillery IV and Meg Wittwer
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
If your life up to now has been missing semi-divine chickens fighting evil and saving Asgard, this is the book series to fill the gap. When an egg is hit by a thunderbolt it becomes Thundercluck, the chosen one who is destined to save Asgard from the evil Under-Cook. Brilliant deadpan humor and an absurdly genius plot are a match made in Asgard.
Knights vs Dinosaurs
by Matt Phelan
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Phelan’s book is a bit of a hybrid between a graphic novel and a traditional text. We we read the adventure aloud, I had my son read aloud the graphic novel bits so it was a fun, interactive experience. Merlin sends a few knights out on a new adventure in which they encounter dinosaurs instead of dragons. And, of course, not all the knights are as they seem! Silly and fun.
Sparks
by Ian Boothby
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Two cats disguise themselves in a robotic dog suit and roam the neighborhood saving humans in precarious situations. My son laughed so hard at this book and constantly wanted to read bits of it out loud to me!
Hilo
by Judd Winick
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Hilo is a kid who comes crashing down to earth. At first he can’t quite remember who he is, but it’s clear he’s different from his new friends, D.J. and Gina. The story emphasizes the importance of friendship and contains a lot of humor. The first book ends with a cliffhanger that will have readers reaching for the next book in the series.
Haggis and Tank Unleashed
by Jessica Young
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
I was slightly skeptical about this series but my 7 year old was laughing his head off and so I picked it up and found the word play to be quite humorous. I’m a big fan of word play as a literary device; I think it gives kids a greater understanding of vocabulary. Haggis the scottie dog plays the straight man to Tank’s absentminded goof and together they set sail on an imaginary venture. This series, which is a graphic novel-hybrid, is a great choice for kids who like Dog Man.
Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face and the Badness of Badgers
by John Dougherty
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
If your kids love over the top weird and crazy, this British import is for them! Stinkbomb and his sister Ketchup-Face are certain the badgers are responsible for their missing money. So they head out to meet King Toothbrush Weasel to foil the evil, treacherous bad-news badgers. This series is incredibly silly and kids will LOVE it. I read it aloud and particularly enjoyed the metafictional narrative elements. There are six books in the series.
CatStronauts
by Drew Brockington
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Cuddly cats in outer space? You know that is bound to be funny. In this series opener a team of cats head to the moon to set up a solar plant. I love that Brockington weaves in some science lessons, too. My sons love it!
Oona Finds an Egg
by Adele Griffin
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
Oona, a cave girl, finds and egg and decides to nurture it, in hoping that it will hatch into something that her brother will not be allergic to so she can finally have a pet. The bully neighbor, Bruce Brute, steals the egg and Oona and her brother must find a way to get it back. There is a lot of humor in this book that kids will love and I loved the touches like the career mom who is trying to reinvent the wheel, and the stay at home dad; even the relationship of the siblings was touchingly adorable.
The Giggler Treatment
by Roddy Doyle
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
This is an easy to read chapter book, perfect for so called reluctant readers, but steer clear if your kids don’t like the word, “poo.” Ha ha ha. I read it aloud on the subway to my son and he was in stitches. How any author managed to create such suspense over the possibility that a man might step in a pile of dog poo is an amazing (and hilarious) feat. I have to admit, I found it quite funny myself, and well-written.
Thor’s Wedding Day
by Bruce Coville
Buy it: Amazon | Indiebound
I was not expecting to enjoy this book, but I liked it just as much as my son and we both laughed out loud as I read it. A very funny take adaptation of a classic tale from Norse mythology.
Funny books are great for fans of Dog Man. Try these lists too:
Jodie says
Great list! My son adores Dogman and Captain Underpants and I agree that there is nothing quite like it out there. He just devoured the whole Hilo series and loved it. He is eagerly awaiting the new one later this winter. Catstonauts was also a big hit.And, we are currently reading Thudnercluck. I’m eager to try some of the others on the list. Thank you!
Erica says
Thanks, Jodie! 🙂
:Donna says
Hi, Erica!!! It’s been SUCH a long time since I’ve visited your wonderful blog, it’s sad for me *sigh* I really want a clone just for the sake of following the blogs I love and keeping up with social media, but that can only be a dream :/
Anyway, I love this list of books! I actually recently saw Johnny Marciano AND Matt Phelan at the Princeton Book Festival (again) 😀 You can see them here: https://writersideup.com/2019/10/15/up-princeton-childrens-book-festival-2019/
Meanwhile, I, too, love Dav Pilkey’s work and think it’s a bit much when people think they’re too “raw” or whatever they want to classify them as. They’re funny and the humor is very kid-friendly. I love the Hilo books and I don’t know if you ever heard of the “Bird & Squirrel” books? I looe them too 😀 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/bird+%26+squirrel?_requestid=1552001
I hope you’re well!!! 😀
Erica says
Bird and Squirrel is such a great series!
Danielle says
We loved Haggis and Tank!
Erica says
🙂
Courtney says
Hey. I LOVE your lists! Would you recommend these books for 2nd-3rd grade (7-9 year olds?) Also, I was curious about the graphic for this post, did I miss “Thunder Cluck”?
Erica says
Ack! Yes, good catch. I forgot to include it in the post. I will update tomorrow. Yes, I recommend these for 7-10 year olds in general.