Scholastic has announced a five-million-copy first printing for Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild, the sixth book in the internationally bestselling series by Dav Pilkey. Published in time for the holidays, the book will be issued simultaneously in the U.S., Canada, U.K., New Zealand, and Australia on December 24, 2018.
The publisher has also revealed that book seven, Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls, will be released on August 13, 2019.
Ellie Berger, president of Scholastic Trade, said in a statement, “The humor and heart in the Dog Man books combined with Dav Pilkey’s inspiring personal story and positive message have struck a chord among kids, parents, and educators everywhere. The demand for the series has been phenomenal and we couldn’t be more excited with this level of anticipation for Dog Man and Lil Petey’s newest adventure.”
Launched in 2016 under Scholastic’s Graphix imprint, the Dog Man series is a spinoff of Pilkey’s wildly popular Captain Underpants books. The most recent book in the series, Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas, which was released on August 28, landed on numerous bestseller lists and debuted at #1 overall on the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly’s lists. The series has been translated into more than 23 languages.
Pilkey recently embarked on a sold-out “Howl with Laughter” tour, in partnership with schools and libraries, appearing at theaters, arenas, ballparks, and other venues.
Pilkey said in a statement, “I wrote the Dog Man books for the kid I used to be—someone who wanted to do well in school but struggled with reading. I remember feeling like a misfit and an outsider a lot of times and I’m grateful to my parents who believed in me when it was hard to believe in myself. Their support and encouragement set me on a path to becoming an author and artist. Meeting readers while on tour has been the most rewarding and humbling experience. It inspires me to continue to write and illustrate books.”
