Perspectives

Cat Kid Comic Club #2

by Dav Pilkey

Cat Kid Comic Club is back in session in this groundbreaking graphic novel narrative by Dav Pilkey, the worldwide bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator of Dog Man.

Flippy, Molly, Li'l Petey, and twenty-one baby frogs each have something to say. Naomi and Melvin don't see eye to eye and Poppy perceives the world differently than her siblings. Will the baby frogs figure out how to work together and appreciate one another's point of view -- both inside and outside the classroom?

The shenanigans are nonstop and the baby frogs' minicomics are funny and full of heart. Creating stories within a story, author and illustrator Dav Pilkey uses a variety of techniques -- including acrylic paints, colored pencils, Japanese calligraphy, photography, collage, gouache, watercolors, and much more -- to portray each frog's perspective. The kaleidoscope of art styles, paired with Pilkey's trademark storytelling and humor, fosters creativity, collaboration, independence, and empathy. Readers of all ages will relish this joyful graphic novel adventure.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Humor, Juvenile

224 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2021

About the author

David "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Reviews

[[Name Redacted] · Rating 2 out of 5]

It really feels like the book doesn't know what it's trying to say.

The message of the main arc is that the cruel, abusive sister is TOTALLY justified in being cruel and abusive because the whole world is against girls and wants them to sit down and shut up and she won't take it anymore! We don't SEE the whole world being that way -- we just see a single example of a bizarrely-misogynistic bulldog-person that she implies represents everyone else in the world...but we see it after OVER HALF THE BOOK in which she's being cruel and abusive to everyone else, especially her nerdy brother. That just feels like Pilkey forgot the "rule of threes." He should have included more examples of misogyny to at least buttress his message.

The real problem, however, is that everything else we see in the book directly contradicts the sister's claims. For example, earlier in the book the sister claims some of her brothers are being misogynistic for refusing to work with her because she's a girl...except they explain that their refusal to work with her stemmed from the fact that they don't want work with ANYONE outside of their little team, boy OR girl. Misogyny had nothing to do with it! Her other sisters are all wildly talented, confident and outspoken -- and publicly praised for it by their peers and authority figures! Heck, the work of one quartet of her sisters (the characters are mostly frogs so there're dozens of siblings) is far more popular than that of their male counterparts...all of whom seem to agree that the quartet's work is the best.

It honestly feels like Pilkey had two different messages for kids and couldn't decide on which one to include, but also forgot to include the build-up to one and the conclusion to the other. The book ends with a pages-long poetry slam where the nerdy abused brother praises the aggrieved abusive sister and extols her feminist spirit and promises to be a good ally, etc. etc. Clearly THAT is the final message kids are supposed to take away. And it's exactly what you'd expect from a Portland, OR resident like Pilkey. But again, what the REST of the book leading up to it shows is that sometimes people who PERCEIVE themselves to be oppressed or victimized...aren't. They're just using that to excuse their bad behavior or other failings, or to make themselves feel special. That's what the sister does.

There's also a weird non-binary frog in the quartet of talented sisters, referenced only in a blink-and-you-miss-it blurb where her bio confusingly uses "they/them" pronouns, but she's clearly drawn as female and is part of the established quartet of girl-bosses. It seemed random and out of nowhere.

Honestly, part of me wonders if these weird inclusions -- especially the inconsistency regarding the veracity of the sister's claims -- might not be an attempt to prove his Progressive bona-fides in the wake of the whole "Pilkey is passively-racist!!!!" kerfuffle from earlier this year.

On the whole a really muddled, confusing story with incoherent messaging. Thankfully my son really only cares about these for the frog-kids' comics, not the narrative that connects them.

[Spencer Orey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book was profound. This one is just a sequel. It's still fun and has some good laughs but doesn't hit the same level. But still fun.

[Mary Pimbblet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually love Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man Books, and enjoyed the first of the Cat Kid Comic Books series, but this seemed a bit confused to me. I’m not sure quite who the target audience is for this book, I read it with a nine year old, so a lot of it was right at her level, how to draw in perspective and some of the crazy stories were great. However, the Haiku section of this just seemed really out of place, it worked in the first book but here it felt thrown in.
The final section about women having to deal with misogyny and discrimination just confused my daughter. She didn’t understand why the girl was allowed to be mean to her brother just because other people are mean to her. I was also confused by the message, I thought that the way it was presented was really strange, especially with the small things being powerful message thrown in as well.
Not the strongest book in the series, but I’ll probably still read the next one.

[Nate Hipple · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was nice, but the novelty from the last volume to this one has worn off a bit. It’s still a decent read, but there just doesn’t feel like there’s enough content to stretch over multiple volumes. There’s also a weird lesson about misogyny that feels out of left field and not particularly well handled. The series still has a super cool concept, but this entry just didn’t do enough new for me.

[Suhasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supa wholesome (Naomi and Melvin especially)

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I thought that it was a quick and easy read. I enjoyed the mini comics inside of the one larger graphic novel.

[Linkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a very good and funny book!

[Alana Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Absolute Favorite

This was an amazing book. When I saw it at the store, I knew I had to get it at the library. This book was so funny and if it doesn't make you laugh, well you probably have no sense of humor! I loved reading about the frogs' comics it was so cool! I even checked out your website and it looks super cool! I love that you can see a preview of the books, because then I wouldn't have ever wanted to read Dog Man! I love your drawings they are so cool! Also, this was a very easy read. It was much easier to read than Paws: Gabby Gets It Together. When Melvin and Naomi fight, it isn't annoying. It is just plain funny. I think you did an amazing job on this book! This would be a favorite for anyone!

[Katiem · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rare miss from Mr Pilkey, this book felt all over the place.

[BookSlayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's funny

[✨Neena✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that I can kind've relate to but just finished reading. Ok I don't know what to say now but it was a great book :)

[Katie H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's was an amazing 🤩 comic

[Eline Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tijdens mijn bibliotheek shift gisteren stond er een jongen aan de balie die me verzekerde dat dit een geniaal leuk boek was. Dus leende ik het boek, ondanks dat ik nogal sceptisch was over de hoeveelheid boeken die Dav Pilkey produceert. En eerlijk is eerlijk ik moet de jongen gelijk geven want wat een creatief, vrolijk boek is dit. Dit boek is een stimulans voor kinderen om zelf stripverhalen te tekenen en verhalen te schrijven. Ik ga dit boek zeker inzetten bij activiteiten rondom leesplezier. Een fan hier 👩‍🎨

[Wesley Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is about frogs making comics and lessons just for fun.

[Adhidev Syamlal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool

[Harlyn Rengel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it over and over again it was so good!









I know!
that creepy thing WAS a little creepy- it also made me laugh!!

[Ujunwa Ike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learn about perspective

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I work as a library clerk, I get the chance to watch trends unfold with patrons. What books and genres are popular? What is being checked out often, and what isn’t? I take a lot of pride to be in the know about what different demographics like to read. One thing that has been blatantly obvious since day one is how popular Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series is. Every time I get a copy in, it’s on the hold shelf for someone else.

I grew up with Pilkey’s first series Captain Underpants. I loved the stupid humor and silly drawings. That combination alone is bound to attract kids to reading. Especially today in the modern age where iPad kids are common, it’s important to get more kids reading books. So with the immense popularity of Dog Man, I decided to see what the hype was all about.

I unironically and wholeheartedly enjoy this series to pieces. I binged Dog Man 1-10 in a few days last year and leapt right into the Cat Kid Comic Club spin-off series. And because of the high demand for these books, I couldn’t get a copy of this newest volume of Cat Kid Comic Club. Finally I was able to get it after waiting two months for the holds to dwindle down.

Pilkey is a GENIUS. This book has stupid humor, witty dialogue, and art that oozes with creativity. He incorporates 3D media and photos into this series in particular, and it makes it so much more charming. He’s also good with adding some morals in there—this book said it’s important that we try to understand what other people feel and go through, thus understanding perspectives.

I love Dog Man and Cat Kid so much that I recommend this to the children I see at the library (if they haven’t read it), and I love knowing that I can talk to them about these books. It’s wonderful to see what a large impact Pilkey’s books have made on these kids.

Whatever age you may be, I highly suggest you pick up this book because I can guarantee you will get a good laugh out of it!

[Ellon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite from the Dog Man/Cat Kid series. This is just all over the place. There are some really good moments (like the little bits about how to draw with perspective) but overall it’s a mess. I can’t tell if I like or dislike Pilkey trying to make the point that Naomi gets treated unfairly because she is a girl. On the one hand, it’s a thing that happens and kids should be aware of it. On the other hand, I feel like a male author making this point is just a bit cringy. Plus, as another reviewer said, Naomi was a brat the whole time and kind of uses misogyny as an excuse for her behavior.
The comics are also very hit or miss. The Japanese haikus in the middle felt so out of place.
Is Pilkey loosing his edge?!?

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book because it was funny and cool. The sequel is as good as the first Cat Kid book. A quick fun read! Dav Pilkey is one of my favourite authors.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

We gotta protect Pilkey at all costs, you guys.

It's so important for kids to read comics like this and see real world issues presented to them in a way they can not only understand, but relate to.

Also, I'm certain this was in the first book as well but I read it about a year ago, so: There's a NB character in the book and I'm just so impressed?

I appreciate how this series tackles issues of injustice and why it's important to understand the perspective (see what I did there, ho ho) of the person who is suffering.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this installment more that the first book. I read this out loud to my son and found myself occasionally laughing alone. My son loved it and had some laughs too. I want to read this to my students and then practice some creative writing and art techniques of I can find the time. I think they would love a comic club.

[Ana María · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff, as always...

[Carly Lozdoski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids loved it! They said they loved it the most because of all the different stories within the story!

[Jessica Fairley · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old loved this book. This was the first chapter book he read entirely on his own.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good until the pc part. Wish people wouldn't burden children with nonsense

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[The Book Box]

I read this book in two sittings. I don't like it as much as Dog Man because those are funnier to me, but I love the comics.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant. I want to use this book with students interested in writing and creating more generally.

[Hannah Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melvin and Naomi by the end were unstoppable! Loved it!