Planetary-YUM

Waffles and Pancake #1

by Drew Brockington

Inspired by his beloved CatStronauts series, Drew Brockington is going back in time to when everyone's favorite Catstronaut, Waffles, was a kitten!

One very special Saturday, Dad-Cat decides to take Waffles and his sister Pancake to the big city to go to the science museum! While they're there, the kittens see extraordinary things, like dino-cats, hairballs in 4D, and even the planetarium. But as the kittens learn about constellations and Neil Pawstrong, they get separated from Dad-Cat. Oh no!

Will the kittens be able to find their (possibly invisible) Dad-Cat? Or will they get stuck living in the museum and eating star tots and tuna melts fur-ever?!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Childrens, Cats, Comics, Animals, Graphic Novels Comics, Fantasy

64 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2021

Reviews

[angelofmine1974 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/0zOmQXZ1MAw

Enjoy!

[Stephany Pachowka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Drew Brockington takes his CatStronaut fans back to when Waffles was a kitten. Waffles and his sister Pancake go on a trip to the Science Museum with their Dad-Cat. They learn all about dino-cats, hairballs, and space. Of course there is a bit of an adventure too. This is a fun early reader graphic novel for fans of Narwhal & Jelly or Elephant & Piggie.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Pancake, it's Saturday! Hooray! No school today, Waffles! Let's watch cartoons! Let's wear pajamas all day!

Premise/plot: Waffles and Pancake are a brother-sister duo starring in Drew Brockington's graphic novel series for young readers. Dad-Cat has Waffles and Pancake for the weekend (or perhaps the week?) and he's decided that they will go to the science museum for the day. Many adventures and a few misadventures follow as these three spend the day at the museum.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one. I liked Waffles. I liked Pancake. I liked Dad-cat. It was a very fun, playful, and somewhat sweet read.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, this is not a typo. After the depressing book I just finished, a children's picture book about cats was JUST what I needed!
For an adult, overall this is probably no more than 3, because what plot there is is aimed at a preschool audience, but the illustrations are such fun that I had to bump it up.

[Mompop · Rating 3 out of 5]

for the younger group not yet ready for the Catstronauts series (or fans of the series)

[Kaelyn H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars! Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Check out my YouTube video where I read and review this pawsome tale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egeuo...

[raccoon reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute. I love these guys!

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM by Drew Brockington, the first in a spin-off graphic novel series featuring the popular CatStronauts characters as kittens.

Waffles and Pancake are set for a pawesome day exploring the museum with Dad-Cat. The trio have a blast looking at exhibits on dino-cats, electricity, and even hairballs (though that last one gets them a little queasy). After an amazing visit to the planetarium, they have lunch and continue their museum adventure. But, uh-oh! After a lecture on meteors, Waffles and Pancake can’t find Dad-Cat! What are these brave young kitties to do?

Educational fun. This is the first CatStronauts book we’ve read, and admittedly, we were occasionally confused and probably missed references that fans of the series would more readily pick up. However, even as our first adventure with Waffles and Cupcake, this was a fun story that touched on some fun real-life scientific concepts, offered a nice lesson in what to do when separated from caregivers in public places, and ends on a sweet message of the fun of family adventures. One element that was unexpected and welcome was the choice to make Waffles and Pancakes’ parents divorced and to depict a friendly custody transfer – something that many children experience in their everyday lives yet is rarely shown in books that don’t center around divorce. It’s a subtle element, and nicely done. The artwork itself is fun and cartoonish, the length is fine for an elementary-aged reader, and JJ enjoyed the story very much. A fun adventure, and one that makes us want to learn more about Waffles and Pancake, as well as our local science museum. Overall, Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the author in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so you all know how much I love the CatStronauts, right? It might be obvious from the weird amount of CatStronaut clothing that can be found in our house. My 1-year-old even knows all the characters’ names because I might have incorporated them into his bedtime song at one point.

Anyway, all that to say I was suuuuper excited to hear about this new series for younger readers about Waffles and his sister Pancake as kids. I had a series of unfortunate events when it came to picking up my hold at the library, but I finally got the book in my hands, and…I liked it. But.

I think partly I am just not used to reading books for this particular intended age group, so I don’t even really know what makes a good one, but it all just felt too rushed to me! I liked seeing Waffles as a kid, and I liked the dynamic between him and Pancake, and seeing certain other characters from the CatStronauts series was fun, but I finished it just feeling kind of meh about the whole thing.

Will I still read the next one? Absolutely! I’m just not nearly as excited about it as I once was. But maybe I’ll enjoy it more now that I have reset my expectations? We shall see!

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was a prequel to the CatStronauts: Mission Moon series, which I haven't read, but it seems to be stand-alone enough. I didn't feel like I was missing anything. This is a cute story of two kids (cats) going with their dad (dad-cat) to the science center. It goes through all the fun things they do and even has a little side story about them getting lost and asking a museum guide for help. I really like how it shows a divorced family (I'm assuming, dad-cat drops the boys off to mom-cat at the end and says he will see them in a few days) in such a positive way. The words were simple enough for young readers. I think the plot would be great for any kid but especially a kid who is about to go to a science center/museum.

[Cover Lover Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Planetary-Yum is the first installment of the Waffles and Pancake graphic novel series. Waffles and Pancake are brother and sister kittens. They are a fun, entertaining, adventure-seeking, science-loving, outer-space-loving duo. Lucky for them, Dad-Cat takes them to the city to visit the science museum. They enjoy the different exhibits, especially the constellation show inside the planetarium and the Hall of Planets. They soon realize they’ve lost Dad-Cat and might have to live in the museum!

Waffles and Pancake are fun and adventurous, and they discover asking for help often brings results. The illustrations are humorous and fun and give the story a light-hearted feel. This story is fun for science loving kids and the adults who read to them.

First Line: Pancake, it’s Saturday!
Genre: Children/Science Fiction/Graphic Novel
Reading Age: 6-9

Disclosure: #CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book.

[Shandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sort of prequel to the Catstronauts series, this early reader graphic novel follows Waffles as a kitten, spending the day with his sister and their Dad-Cat. I was strangely thrown a bit by the font - it's print letters for easier reading, rather than the comic-style lettering in the Catstronaut books. (It probably didn't help that I read it immediately after SlapDash Science!) Still, the story was cute, it had it's usual cat humor, and I think young readers will enjoy it.

Side note - As an adult, I appreciate that the book normalized parents being separated, without making it a big, dramatic thing. The kittens spend the day with Dad-Cat, and then he drops them off at Mom-Cat's, no big deal.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kittens Waffles and Pancake are headed to the science museum with their father. They get to see all sorts of amazing things that spark their imaginations and quite possibly inspire their catstronaut futures.

Waffles and Pancake are just as fun to hang out with as youngsters as they are as adult space explorers. Brockington made this feel like a very realistic visit to a science museum, so much so that you could use it to prep littles for what they could look forward to on a future trip to one. Hand this to cat and science lovers, and of course, graphic novel fans.

Notes on content: The kittens get separated from their father, but they find a uniformed staff member to help reunite them and it all ends happily.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waffles and Pancake get to go to the planetarium with their dad before they have to go back to their mom's house. They roam and explore and have yummy museum food, but then they get lost and can't find their dad. What do they do? Will they have to live in the panetarium forever?

This was a sweet book all around and the dialogue (in human terms instead of cat terms) could have come from any family, like how the kids recall their lunch first as one of their favorite parts of the day. There's lots of mention of the stars and constellations and as the kittens get lost, they do a good job of finding help. The kittens spend the day with dad and get dropped back off with mom. They say bye and reference how they'll see dad again in a few days.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prequel to the CatStronauts series. Dad-Cat takes Waffles and Pancake to the science museum, and they have fun learning and eating there until they lose Dad-Cat during a tour. Can they find him? This is a great introduction to the longer series but adapted to better appeal to the younger audience with more relatable action. There's also a lot of humor, especially cat humor, so definitely for cat fans. (Also, while they are animals, it was nice to see separated/divorced parents' representation.) For fans of Donut Feed the Squirrels and Cat and Cat Adventures.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waffles and his sister Pancake go to the planetarium with their dad-cat. They have fun exploring all the museum has to offer. There's so much to see. They learn about meteorites, constellations and even see a 4D video about hairballs. But at one point they realize they aren't with dad-cat anymore. They do the right thing and look for an adult employee to help.
A fun book with simplistic drawings, bold colors and a good story.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Graphic Novel
This series introduces two cats - Waffles and Pancake, who share time between their parents' homes. Dad-cat takes them to the museum on the way to Mom-cat's home. The three have an amazing adventure as they explore space, dino-cats, etc. The two even get lost and model what to do for readers. Elementary level readers will appreciate the humor and easy to follow text.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two very enthusiastic kittens take a trip to the museum in this fun, colorful beginner comic. There are lots of cat puns and a bit of learning about outer space and what to do if you become separated from a parent in a public place.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waffles and his younger sister Pancake spend a Saturday at the science museum with their Cat-dad, and learn about space, but when they are separated from their Cat-dad during a tour, they know just what to do.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy graphic novel, museum, divorced parents (background, normal, not a source of tension), cats, lunch, getting lost

This is one of those ones with a pace and humor that I think appeals much more to kids than adults.

[Rebecca Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not your average book. It was a Cat themed book. About two siblings going to the museum with their Dad. Who drops them back off with their Mom. I loved it a lot! It is a comic book style.

[Julianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

When they got home, their dad asked what their favorite part was, and their favorite part was star pops 🌟 and tuna squash sandwiches 🥪 😋. I like how when they have to leave and their dad says, "we can't go until you have had your breakfast," and then they take 2 minutes to eat their breakfast 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Kallen Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick little chapter book for your cat loving kiddos (and science too!) The family dynamic is different with this book vs most kids book you read which I liked for those who may have separated parents.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very slight, silly book, where a dad-cat takes his kittens to the natural history museum before taking them to their mom's place. A normal visit-even climaxing in a moment where they are lost, but everything is cat-themed. Give this to fans of Dog Man, Pizza and Taco, or Max Meow.

[Raven Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute facts about space and fireballs. Based on another series were our hero Waffles stars, CatStonauts. Flow can be awkward for adult readers but ages 6 up will be fine.

[Larisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun

[Amy Goldstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute easy to read graphic novel about a family fun visit to the museum.

[JoAnne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another home run from Drew Brockington. Read with my 5 and 9 year olds, both were fans of Catstronauts and there were giggles all around!

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Andrea Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very frenetic story about the adventures of Waffles and Pancake. Not quite as good as Catstonauts.