100 Little Free Libraries Launch Nationwide featuring Dog Man Creator Dav Pilkey's Beloved Characters to Bring Books to Kids in Book Deserts
ST. PAUL, Minn. and NEW YORK, April 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Little Free Library nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand book access is teaming up with Dog Man and Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey and Scholastic to spark book joy and expand access to reading across the United States. The 100 custom-designed Little Free Libraries featuring Dav Pilkey's beloved characters will be installed in schools, public libraries, and communities in book deserts, bringing books directly to children and families who need them most. The initiative, which launches today on the much-anticipated April 7th publication of Pilkey's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga and to celebrate National School Library Month, is an expansion of the successful "Power Up with Reading" collaboration which brought Little Free Libraries to all 50 states. The April rollout of these 100 Little Free Libraries will continue through July in time for summer reading.
Designed with Pilkey's signature bold, playful illustrations and painted in a striking red, the Little Free Libraries will serve as instantly recognizable beacons of fun and literacy. Funded by Dav Pilkey, this impactful initiative will deliver not only eye-catching book-sharing boxes but also thousands of books to communities where access to reading materials is limited. Each library will be stocked with a curated collection of kid-friendly titles, including copies of the new Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga, written and adapted by Pilkey and illustrated by Japanese manga artist Motojiro, ensuring every location offers an engaging reading experience for children.
"Every child deserves access to books," said Dav Pilkey. "With this initiative, we hope to spark curiosity, imagination, and a lifelong love of reading. I'm truly grateful to all the librarians, teachers, reading specialists and volunteers, and the teams at Little Free Library and Scholastic who dedicate themselves to make literacy their mission."
"Dav Pilkey's stories have inspired millions of kids to fall in love with reading," said Little Free Library's CEO Daniel Gumnit. "Together with Dav Pilkey and Scholastic, we're turning that inspiration into action—placing books directly into communities and inviting kids to discover the joy of reading right outside their doors. By combining Dav Pilkey's signature humor with a shared commitment to literacy, Little Free Library and Scholastic are helping ensure that more kids can discover the transformative power of books. As these colorful libraries appear in neighborhoods across the country, they stand as lasting symbols of imagination, access, and the simple joy of reading—inviting kids everywhere to open a book, laugh out loud, and keep coming back for more."
Enter to win Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga
In tandem with the Little Free Library installations, LFL is hosting a nationwide book giveaway in collaboration with Scholastic and Pilkey. All Little Free Library fans in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to enter to win one of 200 copies of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga. Priority will be given to school and libraries that enter to win. To enter, click HERE.
ABOUT LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Little Free Library® (LFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community, inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-sharing boxes. There are more than 200,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide in all 50 states, in 128 countries and on all seven continents. Through them, over 500 million books have been shared. LFL has received the World Literacy Award as well as honors from the Library of Congress, National Book Foundation and others. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous Library programs and champions diverse books through its Read in Color initiative. To learn more, visit LittleFreeLibrary.org.
ABOUT DAV PILKEY
Over the years, Dav Pilkey's philanthropic efforts with various national literacy organizations including the Alliance for Younger Writers and Artists, Children's Book Council, Book Trust, the Scripps Howard Fund, Little Free Library, among many others, have reached millions of kids and families. Dav Pilkey is the creator of over 70 books for children and was awarded a Caldecott Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. When Pilkey was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now widely known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Because of his learning and behavioral issues in school, he was often sent out in the hallway. It was in his elementary school hallway where he created comic books about superheroes that eventually became Captain Underpants and Dog Man. His Dog Man series, launched to critical acclaim in 2016, was an instant #1 bestseller and has more than 70 million copies in print and translations in 50 languages. A new Dog Man book, Dog Man: A Sprinkle in Time, will be published on November 3, 2026. Pilkey's pioneering Captain Underpants series, launched nearly 30 years ago, helped create the illustrated children's chapter book category that remains popular today. The series has more than 90 million copies in print, translated into 37 languages, and released as a feature film by DreamWorks, as well as an original series on Netflix. TheaterWorksUSA's musical adaptations of Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club opened to rave reviews, were both New York Times Critics' Picks, and are currently on tour. For more information about Dav Pilkey and his books, visit the Mediaroom.
ABOUT SCHOLASTIC
For more than 100 years, Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ:SCHL) has been meeting children where they are – at school, at home and in their communities – by creating quality content and experiences, all beginning with literacy. Scholastic delivers stories, characters, and learning moments that empower all kids to become lifelong readers and learners through bestselling children's books, literacy- and knowledge-building resources for schools including classroom magazines, and award-winning, entertaining children's media. As the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online, and with a global reach into more than 135 countries, Scholastic encourages the personal and intellectual growth of all children, while nurturing a lifelong relationship with reading, themselves, and the world around them. Learn more at www.scholastic.com.
IMAGES: Download images of the custom Little Free Library, the Captain Underpants: First Epic Manga book cover, and installation images from the 2023 activation. Credit: Courtesy of Little Free Library
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SOURCE Scholastic Inc