Dav Pilkey was born on March 4th, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a steel salesman, and his mother was the organist at a local church. In 1984, Pilkey attended Kent State University as an art major. One of Pilkey's freshman English professors complimented him on his creative writing skills, and encouraged him to write books, which launched him into his career. He found out about a contest for students who write and illustrate their own books, with the winners earning the prize of publication. Pilkey began creating his first book, "World War Won," and entered it in The National Written and Illustrated By...Awards Contest for Students. Pilkey won the contest and flew to Kansas City,… Missouri to meet the editors and publishers at Landmark Editions, Inc. Soon after the publication of World War Won, Dav moved back to Kent, Ohio where he had gone to college. In 1997, Pilkey won the Caldecott Honor for his book "The Paperboy" but is perhaps better known for his "Captain Underpants" series, which he had created while still in elementary school. His title Super Diaper Baby 2: The Invasion of the Potty Snatchers made Publisher's Weekly best seller list for 2011. In 2013 his title The Adventures of Captain Underpants made The New York Times Best Seller List.