Dav Pilkey and his cavalcade of kooks (for CWIM)
By Kelly Milner Halls
Growing up funny in Ohio fits the Dav Pilkey profile. The fact that the 35-year-old author and illustrator of more than 30 books was a feisty class clown will come as no surprise. But discovering some teachers met his lively spirit with unbridled harshness may be a shocker. And knowing his dreams endured in spite of it all is bound to leave you inspired.
Modern medicine calls the condition Attention Deficit Disorder. But elementary school officials called Pilkey’s creative energy trouble. “I remember one teacher who used to rip up my books and tell me I’d better start taking life more seriously because I couldn’t spend the rest of my days making silly books,” Pilkey says. “Fortunately, I wasn’t a very good listener.”
Pilkey’s high school principal was even more direct. “He said, ‘I know you think you’re special because you can draw, but let me tell you something. Artists are a-dime-a-dozen. You will never make a living as an artist.’ Those words haunted me for many years,” Pilkey remembers. “How delightful it was to prove him wrong.”
Proof started stacking up after Pilkey enrolled as an art student at Kent State University in Ohio. He entered his book, “World War Won” in the National Written & Illustrated by...Awards Contest for Students, a 15-year-old tradition sponsored by Landmark Editions, Inc., a publisher Kansas City, Missouri. Branded a winner, Landmark published the book a year later. And he’s been following his bliss, ever since.
Reaching out to ALL kids – kids some grown-ups see as good AND bad -- is Pilkey’s top priority. “I think it's a good thing for kids to hear that some successful grown-ups weren't so successful in school,” he says. “ I wish I'd heard that when I was a kid. It would have been a real comfort to me.”
That same, reassuring essence shines from every Pilkey illustration and book. In Dog Breath, Pilkey’s 1994 classic, the Tosis children search for a bad breath cure, until their afflicted dog, Hally beats the burglars with his smelly, slobbery kiss. In 1998’s Silly Gooses, a scornful flock-mate warns the main character, “You had better stop being so silly, or you will never find a wife,” just as a slap-happy spouse drops as if from heaven.
From Dumb Bunnies to Captain Underpants, Pilkey’s message is clearly getting through. “I get letters all the time from classrooms of children with special needs,” he says. “They all seem to be inspired by the fact that I was just like them, but I still turned out OK. One classroom told me I was an even better role model than all the wrestlers!”
As if top dogging a wrestler wasn’t enough, Pilkey has recently added an electronic extension to his reach -- www.pilkey.com. “I think the website has been up about three years now,” he says. “From my perspective, the web gives me a chance to reach out to my fans without having to leave the comfort and privacy of my own home. I don’t travel well.”
Designed to be super kid-friendly (like Pilkey himself), the site is also a must for adults. “My hope is that teachers and librarians will use it to download cool stuff to share with kids,” Pilkey admits. “I’m hoping it will be a fun, easy and free resource to help adults bring the books to life in their classrooms and libraries.”
With the click of a mouse, educators have the chance to participate in a www.pilkey.com treasure hunt. They can download Dav Pilkey coloring sheets. They can adopt Pilkey as their “teacher of the month.” They can even use Pilkey’s personal ADD story as an inspiration for students who might be learning impaired.
Technical glitches have made it hard to update his cyber stop. “But I'm now in the process of learning how to do that kind of thing myself,” Pilkey says. “Again, my goal is for the site to be as big and funny as possible, with an endless supply of fun, free resources for people to download.”
Keeping his books fresh hasn’t been as challenging. “I just try to make the books as funny and smart as possible,” he says. But he admits his confidence stems first from his illustrations. “I probably see myself as an illustrator first. Drawing is something that I have complete, total, 100% confidence in. I can't say the same thing about writing.”
Does Pilkey’s ‘Net head inclination mean he’s going all electronic anytime soon? “No,” he says. . I don't think so. (I hope not). “ Pilkey sees not future for e-books in the realm of children’s literature, “and I rarely illustrate electronically. The only time I use the computer is if an illustration contains lettering that needs to be warped into perspective.”
For now, Pilkey is content to write traditional children’s books in a totally twisted way. “The most important thing about what I do is that it makes children laugh,” he says. “I could probably get my old job at the gas station back, it this writing thing didn’t pan out. But this is my dream…to keep doing what I'm doing for as long as I possibly can.
“It's the coolest job in the world,” he says. “I get to draw cartoons and write stories about underwear... what's not to like?”
Growing up funny in Ohio fits the Dav Pilkey profile. The fact that the 35-year-old author and illustrator of more than 30 books was a feisty class clown will come as no surprise. But discovering some teachers met his lively spirit with unbridled harshness may be a shocker. And knowing his dreams endured in spite of it all is bound to leave you inspired.
Modern medicine calls the condition Attention Deficit Disorder. But elementary school officials called Pilkey’s creative energy trouble. “I remember one teacher who used to rip up my books and tell me I’d better start taking life more seriously because I couldn’t spend the rest of my days making silly books,” Pilkey says. “Fortunately, I wasn’t a very good listener.”
Pilkey’s high school principal was even more direct. “He said, ‘I know you think you’re special because you can draw, but let me tell you something. Artists are a-dime-a-dozen. You will never make a living as an artist.’ Those words haunted me for many years,” Pilkey remembers. “How delightful it was to prove him wrong.”
Proof started stacking up after Pilkey enrolled as an art student at Kent State University in Ohio. He entered his book, “World War Won” in the National Written & Illustrated by...Awards Contest for Students, a 15-year-old tradition sponsored by Landmark Editions, Inc., a publisher Kansas City, Missouri. Branded a winner, Landmark published the book a year later. And he’s been following his bliss, ever since.
Reaching out to ALL kids – kids some grown-ups see as good AND bad -- is Pilkey’s top priority. “I think it's a good thing for kids to hear that some successful grown-ups weren't so successful in school,” he says. “ I wish I'd heard that when I was a kid. It would have been a real comfort to me.”
That same, reassuring essence shines from every Pilkey illustration and book. In Dog Breath, Pilkey’s 1994 classic, the Tosis children search for a bad breath cure, until their afflicted dog, Hally beats the burglars with his smelly, slobbery kiss. In 1998’s Silly Gooses, a scornful flock-mate warns the main character, “You had better stop being so silly, or you will never find a wife,” just as a slap-happy spouse drops as if from heaven.
From Dumb Bunnies to Captain Underpants, Pilkey’s message is clearly getting through. “I get letters all the time from classrooms of children with special needs,” he says. “They all seem to be inspired by the fact that I was just like them, but I still turned out OK. One classroom told me I was an even better role model than all the wrestlers!”
As if top dogging a wrestler wasn’t enough, Pilkey has recently added an electronic extension to his reach -- www.pilkey.com. “I think the website has been up about three years now,” he says. “From my perspective, the web gives me a chance to reach out to my fans without having to leave the comfort and privacy of my own home. I don’t travel well.”
Designed to be super kid-friendly (like Pilkey himself), the site is also a must for adults. “My hope is that teachers and librarians will use it to download cool stuff to share with kids,” Pilkey admits. “I’m hoping it will be a fun, easy and free resource to help adults bring the books to life in their classrooms and libraries.”
With the click of a mouse, educators have the chance to participate in a www.pilkey.com treasure hunt. They can download Dav Pilkey coloring sheets. They can adopt Pilkey as their “teacher of the month.” They can even use Pilkey’s personal ADD story as an inspiration for students who might be learning impaired.
Technical glitches have made it hard to update his cyber stop. “But I'm now in the process of learning how to do that kind of thing myself,” Pilkey says. “Again, my goal is for the site to be as big and funny as possible, with an endless supply of fun, free resources for people to download.”
Keeping his books fresh hasn’t been as challenging. “I just try to make the books as funny and smart as possible,” he says. But he admits his confidence stems first from his illustrations. “I probably see myself as an illustrator first. Drawing is something that I have complete, total, 100% confidence in. I can't say the same thing about writing.”
Does Pilkey’s ‘Net head inclination mean he’s going all electronic anytime soon? “No,” he says. . I don't think so. (I hope not). “ Pilkey sees not future for e-books in the realm of children’s literature, “and I rarely illustrate electronically. The only time I use the computer is if an illustration contains lettering that needs to be warped into perspective.”
For now, Pilkey is content to write traditional children’s books in a totally twisted way. “The most important thing about what I do is that it makes children laugh,” he says. “I could probably get my old job at the gas station back, it this writing thing didn’t pan out. But this is my dream…to keep doing what I'm doing for as long as I possibly can.
“It's the coolest job in the world,” he says. “I get to draw cartoons and write stories about underwear... what's not to like?”
