DOG MAN creator Dav Pilkey throwing a Hero Party at the Library of Congress

Shortly before the release of DreamWorks Animation’s Dog Man movie in theaters on January 31, the Library of Congress will host a “Hero Party” for creator Dav Pilkey on Wednesday, January 29. The author, 58, will discuss the latest book in the bestselling children’s series, Dog Man: Big Jim Begins (available now), as well as his approach to teaching kids compassion and empathy in his books, and participate in a meet-and-greet with fans. The event will also include a sneak peek of the film, opportunities for photos with a Dog Man costume character, a create-your-own comics station, and various other activities for kids and families in the Great Hall from 5:30 to 8:30pm local time.

Pilkey states, “Libraries changed my life. As a kid who had reading challenges, one of my best memories growing up was going to the library with my mom. This helped me to associate books with fun. Reading without judgment was a turning point in my life and what led to my lifelong love of books. It is an honor to be invited back to the world’s largest library. I’m grateful to Dr. Carla Hayden [the head of the Library] and the incredible team at the Library of Congress for all their efforts on behalf of children’s literature. They are the ultimate heroes.”

The Library and Pilkey had previously collaborated on Dav Pilkey at Home, a series of educational videos released online to help kids maintain an interest in art and reading at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This event will kick off Pilkey’s international “Celebrating Heroes Around the World” tour, which will further mark the film’s release with stops in Kansas City, Detroit, Dallas, Orlando, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Dublin, Ireland. You can find further information on the Library’s event, and book tickets here.

Launched in 2016, Dog Man is a spin-off of Pilkey’s previous hit series Captain Underpants, depicting a comic created by those books’ protagonists George and Harold, about a hybrid human-dog police officer. It has spawned 13 entries, a video game, and its own spin-off series, Cat Kid Comic Club (adding five more books to the franchise), and sold over 60 million copies, becoming the world’s biggest-selling comic book series in recent memory. The movie, directed by and featuring Peter Hastings (The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants) as the nonverbal lead himself, stars Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, Poppy Liu, Stephen Root, Billy Boyd, and Ricky Gervais. You can check out the cast recording the dialogue in a newly released first look below: