Pup and Dragon: How to Catch an Elf, the first early graphic novel from the creators of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling How to Catch picture book series, follows a hilarious new duo—the titular pup and dragon—in a Christmas adventure that involves catching one of Santa's helpers.
A must-read for How to Catch fans, Alice Walstead and Paul Gill's Pup and Dragon: How to Catch an Elf is a series starter, with two subsequent volumes—Pup and Dragon: How to Catch a Dinosaur and Pup and Dragon: How to Catch a Unicorn—coming in 2024.
PW sat down with Karen Shapiro, senior publishing manager at Sourcebooks, and Maryn Arreguín, senior art director at Sourcebooks, to talk about the enduring popularity of the How to Catch series, jumping into the graphic novel space, supporting beginning readers, and a whole lot more.
The How to Catch picture book series is a long-running and beloved one. How did the graphic novel spinoff series come about?
Karen Shapiro: From our first How to Catch picture book, How to Catch a Leprechaun, published eight years ago, it has been an incredible journey to watch this series grow in popularity. We get to introduce books to children as something joyful, entertaining, and fun... something that can make them laugh over and over again and establish an early love of books and reading. Books open worlds, build vocabulary and spur imagination. The sales numbers told us children wanted to read the rollicking tales of catching amazing creatures, and that told us there was far more to do in delighting our audience. We could grow with our picture book fans as they move on to their first self-reading experiences. How to Catch is all about fun, so moving to early graphic novels was such a natural extension. We wanted to reach not only the current How to Catch readers but also find a brand-new audience to instill joy in the experience of reading. We brought two brand-new characters to life—Pup and Dragon—best friends who know the How to Catch kids and want to help with their adventures. They are silly, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud funny; we can’t wait to hear from our favorite audience as these books begin to publish.
What can you share about the two titular characters, Pup and Dragon?
Shapiro: Pup is sweet, childlike with unbridled optimism and enthusiasm for everything that comes his way. He’s fearless and open, he’s completely affectionate and loves everything and everyone. Dragon is laugh-out-loud funny and overly confident, with a sarcasm that he uses to mask his more cautious approach to life. Together, they perfectly balance one another and support one another no matter the challenges. Their friendship and true commitment and love of one another is the thread running through each adventure.
In what ways does the Pup and Dragon series retain the spirit of the original books?
Shapiro: The stories for the first of the Pup and Dragon books take the reader behind the scenes of the most successful How to Catch picture books and tell those stories in a whole new way. Pup and Dragon were there with the How to Catch kids through the adventures in those stories and together tell those stories from their vantage point. The stories stand on their own, can be read in any order, and offer delightful Easter eggs for anyone who has already read the picture books. The same fun, imagination, belief in magic, and commitment to friendship are woven through the Pup and Dragon stories. The How to Catch picture books became the first self-reading experiences for many children who enjoyed hearing the stories read to them. We wanted to give the fan base a place a grow with stories created for a fun, easy, self-reading experience. We know the importance reading has in the lives of children as they grow, and we want them to continue to love books as much as they did when they were little children.
What’s new and different about the graphic novels?
Shapiro: For the first time, we get to see two characters verbally interacting while chasing and trying to catch the amazing creatures from the How to Catch universe. Beyond the traps and chases, beyond a story told from either the creature or the How to Catch kids, in this series we get to experience Pup and Dragon talking while on these amazing adventures. We get to explore what kids would say to one another while chasing an elf—how much fun, laughter, joy, trepidation, and chaos would unfold as you chase an elf through your house and neighborhood.
How would you describe Paul Gill’s art style? How does it uplift the storytelling in Pup and Dragon: How to Catch an Elf?
Maryn Arreguín: Paul’s art style is engaging, clever, and downright hilarious! The way he illustrates Pup and Dragon’s personalities through their expressions is epic. He sprinkles the magic of visual storytelling even in those panels where there is no text. This is a true testament to how we have developed this unforgettable, problem-solving best-friends duo. His style is a brilliant fit for this laugh-out-loud series, and we hope readers agree.
How can the graphic novel format help support beginning readers?
Arreguín: A love of reading starts with curiosity, and confident readers bloom from a foundation of engaging storytelling, memorable characters, and accessibility. As a children’s book art director, it’s my goal to curate and design this content to keep those early readers engaged and excited, while exposing them to all the traditional novel and chapter book elements, like reading comprehension, problem-solving, and vocabulary. The graphic novel is a superpower format that does just that. Reading becomes more achievable when the material is packaged in an exciting, approachable way.
As a mom to a son who struggled early on with a challenging speech delay and, most recently, an ADHD diagnosis, it is essential to have tools that can help instill confidence and captivate his attention in a positive, rewarding way. When you mix in the secret ingredient of humor—like we see in Pup and Dragon—it’s a knockout reading success! I have no doubt that this new graphic novel series will help develop strong readers and launch their love of books.
What can you share about Pup and Dragon’s upcoming adventures?
Shapiro: There’s no end to the tales we can tell! Coming soon they will be telling their version of How to Catch a Unicorn, How to Catch a Dinosaur, How to Catch an Easter Bunny, How to Catch a Mermaid, How to Catch a Monster, and more. Original adventures with creatures that have not appeared in the picture book series are also in the works. Pup and Dragon really celebrates the joys of friendship, childhood, and belief there’s magic in the world.
