What is Dav Pilkey's Superpower

Dav Pilkey was in second grade. His teacher stood in front of the room, talking to the class. Dav isn’t sure why, but she said the word underwear.

Underwear!

The class burst out laughing.

“Underwear is NOT funny,” she said.

That made the class laugh even harder!

As Dav was cracking up, he got an idea. He started thinking about the word underwear.

“I remember thinking that it’s an amazingly powerful word that can make everyone laugh. I should do something with that.”

Can you guess what Dav did?

Dav Pilkey struggled to read when he was a kid.

When he was in second grade, his teacher said the word underwear.

The class started laughing.

“Underwear is NOT funny,” she said.

Dad got an idea. He started thinking about the word underwear.

Dav Pilkey struggled to read as a student, but he discovered a superpower - and it wasn’t flying through the air.

When Dav was in second grade, his teacher stood in front of the room, talking to the class. Dav isn’t sure why, but she said the word underwear.

Underwear!

The class burst out laughing.

“Underwear is NOT funny,” she said.

That made the class laugh even harder!

As Dav was cracking up, he got an idea. He started thinking specifcally about the word underwear.

“I remember thinking that it’s an amazingly powerful word that can make everyone laugh. I should do something with that.”

Let’s go back in time a little bit. Dav was just a regular kid in Cleveland, Ohio. He had a lot of friends. But school was a challenge for him. It was hard.

Dav couldn’t read as well as his classmates. When the teacher would call kids to the front of the room to read out loud, Dav would think, Oh no.

He could hear the other kids groan. They knew he would struggle to get through the words, and his reading would take a while. He just hated reading out loud like that.

He also got in trouble a lot. He had a hard time paying attention.

Almost every day, his second-grade teacher would point to the door. “Mr. Pilkey, out!” she’d say.

Dav would have to go sit at a desk in the hall. He would sit there by himself for a few hours. He hated being separated from the rest of the class. It was lonely.

Dav was just a regular kid in Ohio. He had a lot of friends. But school was hard.

Dav couldn’t read as well as the other kids.

He got in trouble a lot. He had a hard time paying attention.

Dav would have to go sit at a desk in the hall. He would sit there by himself. It was lonely.

Let’s go back in time a little bit. Dav was just a regular kid growing up in Cleveland, Ohio. He had a lot of friends but school was a challenge for him. It was extremely difficult.

Dav couldn’t read as well as his classmates. When the teacher would call kids to the front of the room to read out loud, Dav would think, Oh no.

He could hear the other kids groan because they knew he would struggle to get through the words, and his reading would take a while. He just hated reading out loud like that.

He had a hard time paying attention and he got in trouble a lot.

Almost daily, his second-grade teacher would point to the door. “Mr. Pilkey, out!” she’d say.

Dav would have to go sit at a desk in the hall for a few hours. He felt lonely and he hated being separated from the rest of the class.

It turns out that Dav had a hard time reading and paying attention for a reason. He had ADHD and dyslexia (dis-LEX-ee-uh). Those are two conditions that make it hard to focus and learn.

But soon he discovered something. He could draw and write stories at that desk in the hall. He may have had trouble with reading, but he was great at drawing.

He drew and drew. He got a lot of practice. And he got better.

He started making up his own stories. Soon, he started making his own comics.

It turns out that Dav had ADHD and dyslexia (dis-LEX-ee-uh). They make it hard for him to focus and learn.

Dav had trouble with reading, but he was great at drawing.

He started making his own comics.

It turns out that Dav had a hard time reading and paying attention for a reason. He had ADHD and dyslexia - conditions that make it hard to focus and learn.

But soon he discovered something. He could draw and write stories at that desk in the hall. He may have had trouble with reading, but he was great at drawing.

He drew and drew. He practiced and he improved.

He started making up his own stories and soon he was creating his own comics.

Dav struggled with school for many years. People didn’t know very much about ADHD and dyslexia back then. Now we know that people learn in different ways.

When Dav became an adult, he started publishing children’s books. He would go to schools and talk to kids about being a writer. He told them how he used to sit in the school hallway.

Dav noticed something. Whenever he mentioned his old comic, Captain Underpants, everyone would crack up!

“Are you ever going to make a book about Captain Underpants?” the kids would ask.

“Hmm, maybe I should do that,” he thought.

And he did. So far, Dav has written and illustrated 12 Captain Underpants books and 9 Dog Man books! He has created many other books too, and is working on his newest graphic novel series, Cat Kid Comic Club.

Dav says, “You don’t have to fly to have superpowers. Superpowers can be your creativity or your imagination.”

Dav struggled with school for many years.

When Dav became an adult, he started writing children’s books. He would go to schools. He would talk about being a writer.

Whenever he mentioned his old comic, Captain Underpants, everyone would crack up!

“Are you ever going to make a book about Captain Underpants?” the kids would ask.

One day he did. Dav has written 12 Captain Underpants books and 9 Dog Man books!

Dav says, “You don’t have to fly to have superpowers. Superpowers can be your imagination.”

Dav struggled with school for many years because people didn’t know very much about ADHD and dyslexia back then. Now we know that people learn in different ways.

When Dav became an adult, he started publishing children’s books. He would go to schools and talk to kids about being a writer. He told them stories of how he used to sit in the school hallway creating comics.

Dav noticed something. Whenever he mentioned his old comic, Captain Underpants, everyone would crack up!

“Are you ever going to make a book about Captain Underpants?” the kids would ask.

“Hmm, maybe I should do that,” he thought.

And he did. So far, Dav has written and illustrated 12 Captain Underpants books and 9 Dog Man books! He has created many other books too, and is working on his newest graphic novel series, Cat Kid Comic Club.

Dav says, “You don’t have to fly to have superpowers. Superpowers can be your creativity or your imagination.”