"Part man. Part dog. All hero." — and all anybody was talking about Monday at the Royal Oak Music Theatre as families gathered to meet Dav Pilkey, the bestselling author and illustrator behind the "Dog Man" and "Captain Underpants" series.
This stop on Pilkey’s Celebrating Heroes Around the World International Tour! was presented by The Caboose: Sidetrack Bookshop for Kids in Royal Oak and 2 Dandelions Bookshop in Brighton.
"The wonderful thing about Dav Pilkey is that he is an inspiration to kids around the world. He is an inspiration to inspire a love of reading. He is an inspiration for celebrating creativity. And this tour in particular... it's celebrating everyday people who can do extraordinary things, extraordinary good deeds — and that is something that local independent bookstores do," Jenny Carney of Sidetrack Bookshop said.
Extended interview: Meet the local bookshop crew who helped bring Dav Pilkey to Michigan
The book tour also celebrates Pilkey’s recent release of “Dog Man: Big Jim Begins” and “Dog Man” the movie.
Families lined up outside the theater before the doors opened Monday morning, eager to see one of their favorite authors. Organizers say both events, scheduled for noon and 6 p.m., sold out.
"I'm so happy, because we've been on tour almost the last two months, and we're going to be going to Europe and Ireland, and it's just so amazing to see so many families come together to celebrate literacy," Pilkey said.
We thought what better way to interview Dav Pilkey than to enlist 7 News Detroit "kid correspondents" Lucy and Elle to help!
Elle: "How did you get the idea for Dog Man, did you have a pet dog?"
Dav Pilkey: "I did have a pet dog, and I've always loved dogs. And so when I was probably in 1st grade, I started drawing dogs all the time and then in 2nd grade I started putting little capes on them and they started flying around and that's kind of how Dog Man started."
Lucy: "If you could talk to yourself as a kid, what would you say?"
Dav Pilkey: "I think if I could talk to myself as a kid, I would say don't worry so much. Everything's going to turn out OK, because I had a lot of challenges when I was a kid. I had ADHD and I had dyslexia, and I think I was very self-conscious about those things, and I, and I worried quite a bit, but I would tell myself, 'don't worry, everything will be fine.'"
Related video: Watch full interview with Pilkey and 7 News Detroit's 'kid correspondents'
Pilkey has also been a big supporter of the WXYZ and Scripps Howard Fund's If You Give A Child A Book Campaign, gifting students in participating schools copies of his books.
He says if you give a child a book, "you open up their entire world."
