David Kalvitis

David Kalvitis
Born	David R Kalvitis Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Graphic designer and puzzle inventor
Website	www.monkeyingaround.com

David Kalvitis at the 2011 Rochester Children's Book Festival.

David Kalvitis is an artist, graphic designer, puzzle inventor, and owner of Monkeying Around, publisher of his collections of dot-to-dot-puzzles. Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Kalvitis is the eldest of three children. He currently resides in Rochester, New York.

Kalvitis is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned a Fine Arts degree in Editorial Design. During his senior year, he placed second in the International Print Magazine Cover Design Contest.

After running his own graphic design business in Rochester for 13 years, Kalvitis began his publishing career with the creation of The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Books in the World in 2000.

Since 2000 Kalvitis has published 18 hand-designed puzzle books, which have received numerous awards by parenting, educational, and toy organizations. Bernie DeKoven, of Major Fun!, awarded Monkeying Around the Major Fun! Award saying, "in all of his work, it’s [the] quality of the drawings themselves that makes the fun so major: always surprisingly masterful, and deeply satisfying when you complete them – satisfying enough to...color them in." He goes on to say, "it’s not just dot-to-dot, it’s dot-to-OMG-to-dot...There’s a puzzle where you connect the coordinates and another where instead of dots you have words, and you connect them alphabetically."

The Toy Man heralds Kalvitis books as tapping into "Creative Expression...Gross [and] Fine Motor Skills...Cognitive...[and] Language development for children of all ages. Monkeying Around has been dedicated to offering innovative dot-to-dot products that delight and entertain children and adults of all ages.

On September 8, 2017, Kalvitis participated in the Parkway 100 We Are Connected Centennial Celebration in Philadelphia, PA. This event kicks off 14 months of community celebrations heralding and commemorating the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Kalvitis was honored to be asked to create his 19th dot-to-dot book with puzzles that represent different scenes in and around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

To date, his books have sold over one million copies worldwide.

Published works

Books

• The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Books in the World Monkeying Around
  • Book 1, 2000 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-0-2
  • Book 2, 2001 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-1-9
  • Book 3, 2002 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-2-6
  • Book 4, 2003 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-3-3
• The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Super Challenge Books Monkeying Around
  • Book 5, 2007 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-4-0
  • Book 6, 2008 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-5-7
  • Book 7, 2009 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-0-1
  • Book 8, 2010 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-1-8
• The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Adventure Books Monkeying Around
  • Book 1, 2012 - ISBN 978-0-9799753-2-5
  • Book 2, 2014 - ISBN 978-0-9799753-3-2

• We Are Connected Dot-to-Dot Philadelphia Book Monkeying Around
  • 2017 - ISBN 978-0-9975907-0-8

• The Greatest Dot-to-Dot Mini Travel Newspaper Books Monkeying Around
  • Volume 1, 2005 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-6-4
  • Volume 2, 2005 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-7-1
  • Volume 3, 2006 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-8-8
  • Volume 4, 2006 – ISBN 978-0-9700437-9-5
  • Volume 5, 2007 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-6-3
  • Volume 6, 2007 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-7-0
  • Volume 7, 2011 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-8-7
  • Volume 8, 2011 – ISBN 978-0-9799753-9-4

Awards

• Creative Child Magazine Awards 2015 Book of the Year Award
• National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Holiday 2012 Seal of Approval
• National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Holiday 2010 Seal of Approval
• National Parenting Center Seal of Approval Holiday 2003 Seal of Approval

Reviews

• Family Review Center
• Creative Child Awards review

Videos

• Kalvitis Monkeying Around YouTube Sharing

Jointly authored books

• Twisting History: Lessons in Balloon Sculpting Parma Publishing, 1995 ISBN 978-0-9648497-3-0

References

• Memmott, Jim (March 24, 2007). Puzzles offer fun on the dot. Democrat & Chronicle.
• York, Michelle (May 15, 2006). If numbers don't add up, try connecting the dots. The New York Times.
• Ramsay, Maggie (March 19, 2006). Dots amore. Sunday Messenger.
• Ramsay, Maggie (December 21, 2005). Connecting the dots. Brighton-Pittsford Post.
• Memmott, Jim (December 10, 2005). Dot-to-dot puzzle guy links up with the kid in all of us. Democrat & Chronicle.
• Arbelo, Enid (July 22, 2002). Dot-to-dot turns profit from naught. Democrat & Chronicle.
• Di Natale, Chuck (June 29, 2000). Connecting dots links FHS grad to fun, profit. Perinton-Fairport Post.

"The New York Times". May 15, 2006.