I have my first graphic novel review for you! And it’s not for middle grade, but for children - your younger readers. It’s also my second review containing the word “waffle” and I am quite excited about it!
Drew Brockington is the author and illustrator of Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM, published by Little, Brown and Company, and will be released to the world on October 26th.
Waffles and Pancake are siblings - cats. They’re cat siblings who plan on spending their Saturday with Dad-Cat, in pajamas, watching cartoons all day long. Sounds like the perfect day to me…but Dad-Cat has other plans and takes his kitty-kids to the science museum.
Before you have to go to your mom-cat’s, how about we head to the science museum in the Big City today?
Hooray!
Pawesome!
I think my favorite parts are when they eat. The breakfast and lunch scene have all them chowing down with big “Nom, nom, nom’s” in all different fonts decorating the scene. Typical kids in such a great way.
Throughout their time at the museum Waffles and Pancake learn about electric charge transfers, hairballs (so gross and so funny!), stars, constellations, and outer space. However, the biggest lesson learned is what to do when you get lost. Now, this could have been done in such a scary, BIG way, but Drew handles it calmly. He pulls Waffles and Pancake together and they handle the situation thoughtfully, with a little bit of worry, and humor.
What if he doesn’t come back? We’ll be stuck here…FUR-EVER.
We could live at the museum.
We could never go outside again!
We could eat star tots every day!
Most picture books or any book for kids have the main character solve their own problem without adult help. Drew doesn’t do this here. Yes, the kitty-kids realize they are lost and know the best way to seek help, but they ultimately have to rely on an adult in order to resolve their problem fully. I’m all for this type of resolution.
I must say, even though my favorite parts were the food parts, I do love the end as well. Waffles and Pancake are back home with Mom-Cat and even though they said their favorite part was lunch, the last page shows the two looking at constellations and reading a space book.
Drew Brockington already has a series out - the CatStronauts - and this series is definitely more for middle-grade. They are longer with more text, but both my 8 year old and 10 year old love them even though it’s a longer read. This new series is the “Kitten Adventure” of Waffles from the CatStronauts series. Sort of like a prequel. You don’t need to read the first series to enjoy the Kitten Adventures. The book definitely stands on its own.
If your reader loves graphic novels, I highly recommend Waffles and Pancake. I’m so glad I was sent an advance reading copy because I never would have picked it up myself. I don’t love graphic novels the way my kids love this genre. I do love every book by Ben Clanton and Mo Willems and this book lines right up with them. They’re funny without being silly. I find their books witty, well-written, and their illustrations are excellent.
Check out Drew Brockington’s website where you can check out all his books and illustrations. Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM comes out in just a couple weeks and (just for a little insider info) pre-ordering a book does wonders for the author! If you use Goodreads, click the “want to read” button, that is super helpful to support authors too!