The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza

by Mac Barnett, Shawn Harris (Illustrator)

Overview

"Ridiculously fun and brilliantly illustrated.” —Dav Pilkey, creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants

As seen on The TODAY Show! New York Times bestselling Mac Barnett and Caldecott Honor award-winning illustrator Shawn Harris turn their massively popular The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza live cartoon into an action-packed and hysterical graphic novel series—perfect for fans of Dav Pilkey, Raina Telgemeier, and Jeff Kinney. A Kids' Indie Next List Pick, an Indie Bestseller, and a Junior Library Guild Selection!

Something terrible is happening in the skies! Rats are eating the MOON!

There’s only ONE hero for the job, a bold and fearsome beast bioengineered in a secret lab to be the moon’s savior and Earth’s last hope! And that hero is . . . a cat. A cat who will be blasted into space!

Accompanied by the imperious Moon Queen and LOZ 4000, a toenail clipping robot, the First Cat in Space journeys across a fantastic lunar landscape in a quest to save the world. Will these unlikely heroes save the moon in time? Can a toenail-clipping robot find its purpose in the vast universe? And will the First Cat in Space ever eat some pizza? 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063084100
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Series:	First Cat in Space Series , #1
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	319 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Mac Barnett is the ninth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. He is a New York Times-bestselling author of more than 60 books for children. His picture books include two Caldecott Honor–winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Extra Yarn and Sam & Dave Dig a Hole. Mac lives in Oakland, California. His website is macbarnett.com.

Shawn Harris is an award-winning author and illustrator of books for kids. His authorial debut Have You Ever Seen A Flower, was called a “stunning tour de force…” by The New York Times, and received a Caldecott Honor, while The Eyes and the Impossible, a #1 New York Times bestseller, written by Dave Eggers, was awarded the John Newbery Medal. The National Museum of Wildlife Art gave Shawn the Bull-Bransom Award, for excellence in the field of children’s book illustration with a focus on nature and wildlife for A Polar Bear in the Snow, by Mac Barnett, with whom he also creates The New York Times bestselling The First Cat In Space graphic novel series. Shawn lives in Half Moon Bay, California. When he’s not making books, he likes to sing, surf, and play racquetball.

Editorial Reviews

"In full, vivid color, the loose cartoon style exudes an infectious glee, flawlessly matching Barnett’s freewheeling, absurdist humor and plotting." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Readers looking for the outer space high jinks and gentle humor of Brockington’s Catstronauts and the imaginative and fantastical worldbuilding of Andrews’s This Was Our Pact need look no further than this laugh-out-loud tale of the first cat in space." — School Library Journal (starred review)

"The surprisingly earnest themes of friendship and individual purpose combined with the absurd humor should resonate with this audience of readers." — Horn Book Magazine

“A hilarious graphic novel.”  — New York Times

"Ridiculously fun and brilliantly illustrated.”  — Dav Pilkey, creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants

"Epic lunacy." — Kirkus Reviews

"Obvious work of creative joy. A definite winner in the age of Dog Man." — Booklist

"Barnett is cruising comfortably in his usual lane of quirky humor, and Harris matches the absurdity with cleverly composed illustrations that balance visual humor with narrative necessity. Kids who have graduated from Binky the Cat will be delighted to join another furball on intergalactic adventures." — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for A Polar Bear in the Snow: ★ “Mesmerizing.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

★ “A winning must.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

★ “Perfect.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

★ “Succinct... yet sophisticated.” — Booklist (starred review)

“An understated, reflective, and loving portrayal that also serves as a celebration of wonder and wandering.”  — Horn Book Magazine

“This is a frosty little whimsy with enough of an edge, between the hint at reality for the seals and the bear’s snarl at a human interloper, to be interesting, and Barnett deftly wields a tidy, P. D. Eastman-esque structure that immediately attracts listeners.”  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Praise for Top Secret Smackdown (Mac B., Kid Spy #3): "Exciting action sneakily infused with points about the relationship between reality and story, delivered by a narrator who can claim with literal truth that he saved the day "on porpoise."  — Kirkus Reviews

"This short chapter book, with a familiar graphic style from previous volumes, does not disappoint. Highly recommended for fans of the series, this title features more of the wacky humor they have come to expect."  — School Library Journal

Praise for The Impossible Crime (Mac B., Kid Spy #2): "Barnett opens his casebook again-this time to solve a classic locked-room mystery...Almost every page contains Lowery's illustrations, loosely drawn and garishly colored in green and orange, which give the whole affair a zany feel that is much enhanced by the narrative with its running gags. Kudos to a pint-size Poirot, pre-Mustache!" — Booklist

"Barnett's signature dry wit and snappy back-and-forths, particularly between the ingenuously sincere Mac and the standoffish Queen, keep the story steadily moving forward; a convoluted historical account of Colonel Blood's attempted robbery...Lowery's cartoony spot art, in black, green, and orange, provides additional historical and cultural information and frequently supports the narrative."  — The Horn Book

"Barnett and Lowery team up again in this second outing of international espionage mystery with royal overtones... this is a nifty mystery for young readers and a worthy sequel to the first."  — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1): * "Barnett and Lowery bring the funny to the serious art of espionage in a perfect interplay of text and illustration...Barnett interweaves tidbits of global history fit for trivia lovers, while Lowery's comic-style images play a key role in the humor...Told with a sense of nostalgia for 1980s history and pop culture, the silliness and originality of this book will hook young readers."  — School Library Journal (starred review)

"Barnett takes his readers on a fun-filled ride...Barnett's tone throughout the story is humorous, lighthearted, and a little glib, and the over-the-top story is sure to appeal to many readers...an enjoyable romp that will leave readers salivating for the sequel."  — Kirkus Reviews

"[Barnett's] riotous series debut as an adult recalling a 1980s childhood caper...goofy, two-color pictures by Lowery (the Doodle Adventure series) ramp up the silliness of this adventure...which should snare even the most hesitant readers."  — Publishers Weekly

"Barnett's knack for both quirky situational humor and heartfelt sentiment work in tandem to create a balanced-while still outrageous-early-chapter-book caper. Lowery's frequent cartoony black, yellow, and blue spot illustrations are integral to the narrative, providing clues to eagle-eyed readers and enhancing the humor."  — The Horn Book

"Barnett's series falls squarely in line with works from Jon Scieszka's and Dav Pilkey's oeuvres, offering kids another solid choice for what to read next."  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

"Funny as a crumpet. (But truly, secretly a hundred times smarter.)" — Jon Scieszka, author of Caldecott Honor The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and the New York Times bestselling series Frank Einstein

"With a perfectly absurd premise, dialogue that demands outlandish accents, and a plot that interweaves global history and complete silliness, Barnett royally nails it."  — Abby Hanlon, author of the Dory Fantasmagory series

From the Publisher

"Ridiculously fun and brilliantly illustrated.” 

Dav Pilkey

"Obvious work of creative joy. A definite winner in the age of Dog Man."

Booklist

"Barnett is cruising comfortably in his usual lane of quirky humor, and Harris matches the absurdity with cleverly composed illustrations that balance visual humor with narrative necessity. Kids who have graduated from Binky the Cat will be delighted to join another furball on intergalactic adventures."

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A hilarious graphic novel.” 

New York Times

★ “Succinct... yet sophisticated.

Booklist (starred review)

An understated, reflective, and loving portrayal that also serves as a celebration of wonder and wandering.” 

Horn Book Magazine

"Obvious work of creative joy. A definite winner in the age of Dog Man."

Booklist

"Barnett's signature dry wit and snappy back-and-forths, particularly between the ingenuously sincere Mac and the standoffish Queen, keep the story steadily moving forward; a convoluted historical account of Colonel Blood's attempted robbery...Lowery's cartoony spot art, in black, green, and orange, provides additional historical and cultural information and frequently supports the narrative." 

The Horn Book

"With a perfectly absurd premise, dialogue that demands outlandish accents, and a plot that interweaves global history and complete silliness, Barnett royally nails it." 

Abby Hanlon

"Funny as a crumpet. (But truly, secretly a hundred times smarter.)"

Jon Scieszka

This is a frosty little whimsy with enough of an edge, between the hint at reality for the seals and the bear’s snarl at a human interloper, to be interesting, and Barnett deftly wields a tidy, P. D. Eastman-esque structure that immediately attracts listeners.” 

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

2022-02-09
Will extragalactic rats eat the moon?

Can a cybernetic toenail clipper find a worthy purpose in the vast universe? Will the first feline astronaut ever get a slice of pizza? Read on. Reworked from the Live Cartoon series of homespun video shorts released on Instagram in 2020 but retaining that “we’re making this up as we go” quality, the episodic tale begins with the electrifying discovery that our moon is being nibbled away. Off blast one strong, silent, furry hero—“Meow”—and a stowaway robot to our nearest celestial neighbor to hook up with the imperious Queen of the Moon and head toward the dark side, past challenges from pirates on the Sea of Tranquility and a sphinx with a riddle (“It weighs a ton, but floats on air. / It’s bald but has a lot of hair.” The answer? “Meow”). They endure multiple close but frustratingly glancing encounters with pizza and finally deliver the malign, multiheaded Rat King and its toothy armies to a suitable fate. Cue the massive pizza party! Aside from one pirate captain and a general back on Earth, the human and humanoid cast in Harris’ loosely drawn cartoon panels, from the appropriately moon-faced queen on, is light skinned. Merch, music, and the original episodes are available on an associated website.

Epic lunacy. (Graphic science fiction. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews