Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea | Review

Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (#11)
By Dav Pilkey
Scholastic Graphix, March 2023, $14.99
Grades 2-5

When a series continues on and on, you would think it would get old or not so funny. And I haven’t read all the Dog Man books, so likely, there are some repeat jokes… and I just haven’t seen them. But when I brought home the latest Dog Man title and saw the eager eyes of all my children… I knew that this series certainly has not gotten old.

In the 11th installment, there’s a lot going on. Dog Man “chaperones” Chief and Nurse Lady while they’re on a date. Piggy is in prison and – in a twist of fate – is able to escape. But Dog Man is on the case. Petey is trying to rebuild his lab. The story twists and turns until all the characters are together in a hilarious adventure, where thankfully, Piggy gets his comeuppance.

There are at least 3 or 4 different storylines that all cleverly intersect and come together. There are a lot of laugh-out-loud moments and silly fun. There are also quite a few tender moments too. This book has it all. (And honestly, while it’s really really silly, I don’t get why so many people have issues with it. It’s really clever and has a lot of thought and planning to make it all work.)

The artwork is bright and bubbly. The panels are large and few on a page and the lettering is also large, making it easy for young readers to delve into the book. There are a bunch of “Flip-o-Rama” moments in the book, where readers are supposed to flip back and forth to make the pages look like it’s animated. I couldn’t get it to work. I’m just too old I guess. But I imagine the kids have fun trying while reading the books.

This title will sell itself. But I don’t think readers are getting bored and will be thrilled to see a new installment.

Filed under: Graphic Novels, Reviews