These graphic novels are like the fabulous Dog Man series: funny, irreverent and with a memorable animal main character. If your elementary reader has read every Dav Pilkey book, laughing out loud, then it’s time to check out these other hysterical graphic novels! (some of them are also great family read-alouds!)
a warning about the content of these graphic novels for children who love the dog man
- It’s about comedy. If you know anything about the genius of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man, then you should know that it’s all about captivating the reader’s attention through humor. these are not highbrow books, and that’s not just cool, it’s amazing. the world needs funny books.
- many of them have meaningless humor. farting…a lot of farting…poop jokes are the norm. that kind of content is fine in our house, but if it’s not in yours, that’s totally fine, just make sure you do a full preview before handing the title to your child.
- these are all titles secular. , and I have some high school language. most have “hell”, “stupid” and “shut up” at least once. some have, “damn”. If you’re reading these graphic novels out loud as the dog man, it’s easy to switch. if you’re giving it to your son who likes the dog man, make sure he knows how your family feels about those words in your home.
- all of these titles on this list can be read and enjoyed by any gender. I don’t believe in making “boys’ books” because that can be very alienating for those of us who didn’t read “girls’ books” growing up. however, it is true that most of the titles on this list have male leads. that seems to be the nature of graphic novels that are full of comedy and written at this reading level. there are so many wonderful graphic novels with female leads, they just don’t show up here. but feel free to give these books to girls too, especially if they are reluctant readers!
dog man reading level
dog man is recommended for second grade and up, and the sweet spot for kids who love the series is second through fifth grade. mandog books are technically a p or q reading level, depending on which book in the series you watch.
You are reading: Dog man books reading level
For those looking for a more technical reading level measure, Dog Man (the first book in the series) has a lexile measure of gn390l. (the gn just stands for graphic novel). the other books in the series are out there, although most are lower. for example, dog man: a story of two kittens has a lexical measure of gn260l.
The graphic novels like the dog man I’m talking about on this list will have a slightly different reading level. I will try to clarify at what level each book is. some are easier than the dog man; for example, the series of narwhals and jellies. Some are more difficult, like Calvin and Hobbes.
However, don’t let reading level stop you from giving any of these books to your child! In the past, I’ve argued that we should ignore reading level altogether and go for appropriate and engaging content instead. in this list i just share the grade level if you are looking for a specific age range. All the books on this list will be in the age group that likes to read Dog Man. (so… elementary school kids? did I get the target audience right?)
if you click on the title of the book, it will take you to the amazon page to buy the book. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
graphic novels like dog man
the series of investigators by john patrick green
I put this first on the list because, as a mom, it’s probably my favorite. no bad attitudes, just cartoon/slapstick violence, lots of puns, no romance or crushes, and toilet-traveling alligator investigators? Yes. please.
is a fabulous series of 3 graphic novels for children ages 7-10 to read independently. We also read it as a family as a read-aloud book, and my 4-year-old enjoyed it too. (Although it’s harder than you’d think to explain puns to a preschooler.) highly recommended for all ages!
waffles and pancakes series by drew brockington
waffles and pancake is a spin-off series from the popular catstronauts series. It’s about two sweet kitties who love outer space and have pretty normal adventures on earth. (and there are puns…so many puns).
The series is marketed for children from 6 to 9 years old. I agree with this: it definitely has a younger bias than most of the books on this list. part of that has to do with the length, it’s on the shorter side. This series is much shorter than the Catstronauts books, FYI if you’re expecting something similar. this could make it the perfect book for reluctant older readers, because they can easily finish an entire book!
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address my young earth creationist readers, there is a mention of the age of the stars, and it is not a small number of years. By the way, waffles and pancake’s mom and dad are divorced, but it’s handled in a super natural way and it’s not the focus of the story. I like that it normalizes real life families.
drew brockington’s
catstronauts series
cats that are astronauts. I mean, the title is pretty self explanatory. these are definitely more silly story based than serious science, but I think that’s a good thing. they are lovely, and my third grade son read the first one, then immediately asked the rest of them from the library. So far there are 6 books in the series, hopefully more to come!
Warn that this series is definitely at a higher reading level than the dog-man books: the catstronauts books hover around the t-reading level. (compare that to the dog-man books, which are on a p or a q). For that reason, it’s a great choice for those kids who still like the silliness of a middle grade graphic novel, but are reading at a higher level.
cyndi marko kung pow chicken series
These short graphic novels are about a super hero chicken called Kung Pow Chicken. (They really are brief: he’ll invest in the whole series if they sound good to his son, lest they fly past the first one in an hour and demand to go back to the library). and some cartoon villains.
The series of 5 books is a hoot. (see what i did there?) these books tend to be easier than some on the list, with a guided reading level of m, n, or o, depending on the book in the series. they would be at a first or second grade reading level. (this is my long way of telling you that they are easier to read than the dog man). however, the humor will probably go over a first grader’s head, which is why I personally recommend the series for older kids as well. they would be great for an older reader who is not yet reading at her grade level. (If that’s his kid, here’s a great article on what to do, written by a professional reader.) however, really, any age will enjoy them, and we place too much importance on reading levels. sometimes it’s nice to read a substandard book!
sparks series by ian standby and nina matsumoto
sparks is about two cats in a robotic dog suit. they use the suite to do heroic things, because everyone loves dogs and cats are kind of like ehh. you have to admit it’s a hysterical premise.
There are two books in the series. It should be noted that there are some dark elements: the villain tortures people, there are some naps that lead to cruel experimentation, and generally the bad guys are bad. this may come as a surprise since the books are written for students in second through fifth grades. It’s all presented as a comedy, so your child may be fine with that, but keep in mind if he has a sensitive soul or a child from hard places who may respond negatively to these story elements.
calvin and hobbes by bill watterson
technically, calvin and hobbes is not a graphic novel. however, my 8 year old devours these comics, so I need you to know that they are a great option for girls and boys who like the dog man. (These would also be a good option for boys who enjoy captain underpants.)
Of course, Calvin is naughty, but that’s what makes them so much fun. he hates school, FYI, if that’s a no-no in your household. you don’t have to read the books in order, they’re all nice when they’re on their own.
the bad guys club by aaron blabey
then. Many. extreme. jokes and fart jokes. My son loves this series of graphic novels about bad guys trying to be good guys – he squeals with laughter at all the ridiculous elemental humor. it’s a good series, note that there are some slight romances/crushes in the later books in the series. I like that the good ones face problems, but solve them together. good messages, slapstick humor, basically the perfect series for elementary boys and the perfect series for elementary girls. (see what I did there? girls like fart jokes too!)
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The series of 14 books that is still being written is intended for students in grades 2-5 and is at a p reading level.
narwhal and jelly series by ben clanton
narwhal and jelly are best friends. they have adventures together, interrupted by the occasional page of illustrated ocean facts. (Notice to my young earth creationist friends that there are sections that talk about how narwhals evolved.) the overall feel of the series is super happy, there aren’t even “bad guys”. it’s honey.
The 5 book series is a super quick read. It is probably most enjoyed by first through fourth graders, and is at the m reading level. we also treat this series as super long picture books in our house, and the preschoolers have really enjoyed the books during read aloud time as well.
owl diaries series by rebecca elliott
This 14-book graphic novel series is about Eve Owl and her many misadventures. there are many happy lessons, some mysteries and sweet friends. reading level tends to be younger, kindergarten through second grade, m level. (so a bit easier than the dog man).
So clearly from the cover, this series of graphic novels is marketed to elementary school girls. however, my children of both genders have enjoyed the series, so don’t rule it out if your children like the style of writing. (Also, there’s some question as to whether it’s really a graphic novel. It’s written in journal format. However, since it’s not written as a chapter book, and there are tons of pictures and graphics, I’m counting it here. There really is it’s very few words per page, compared to a chapter book of similar length).
series
todd goldman’s bloodhound heroes
After a spaceship lands and gives five dogs superpowers, mischief ensues. dogs are of both genders, so this is a great choice for elementary school girls or boys who like dogs, grades 2-5.
the dogs fight against the evil neighborhood cat, the claw. of course, the good guys prevail. (They’re also not very nice to one of their members, an adorable but irritating sheepdog. I don’t love that, let him know he’s there.)
series
banana fox by james kochalka
new in 2021! banana fox is a great detective, and bright yellow too, because of course he is. these mysteries are brilliantly illustrated and super silly. So far only one book in the series has come out, but book 2 will be out in October 2021.
warning that they are brief: only 80 pages. in graphic novels, that’s pretty easy to read, an 8 year old could probably read it in one sitting. so if you pick these for your elementary reader, grab a few others on the list too. They’re intended for second through fifth grade readers, but there’s not a lot of text per page, and the story is easy to follow, so you could easily improve it for a younger reader.
there are other chapter books that are like the dog man
all the books on this list are graphic novels similar to dog man. however, there are many illustrated chapter books that have similar features to dog man books, but are not graphic novels. however, they have a lot of illustrations, so many illustrations that some books, like stick dog, can be found in the graphic novel section of amazon. however, since they’re not technically graphic novels, they get their own list. Check out this list of 50+ illustrated chapter books for kids who love Dog Man!