Drew Brockington is a Minneapolis author best known for the CatStronauts series. Drew may be the only local kids author to have flown a Space Shuttle, repaired the International Space Station, and served in Mission Control (all during a week at Space Camp). Besides CatStronauts he has written DC Comics’ middle-grade graphic novel, Metropolis Grove and the picture book Hangry. Drew Brockington’s books are available through our Bookshop store and include the following titles. If you purchase books through our link, not only do we get a small commission, but 10% of regular sales on Bookshop.org are added to an earnings pool that is evenly divided and distributed to independent bookstores every six months. Drew shares stories and crafts inspired by his favorite CatStronauts character, Waffles. The CatStronaut joins him in puppet form, in his YouTube drawing show, “Let’s Do Fun Stuff Together.” Each of videos is approximately half an hour. For kids who love his books or want to learn to draw alongside a real graphic novelist, they are really fun to watch. I wrote this entire entry with a split screen, so my kids could continue to watch the videos after I checked them out. If you want to meat Waffles, he accompanies Drew on in-person visits to schools and bookshops. Drew Brockington, released, Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-Yum in October of 2021. Joy had the opportunity to review an advanced reading copy of this sweet book and shares her review below: If your child is a fan of the series, they’ll recognize Waffles. In this CatStronauts Kitten Adventure, a young Waffles and his sister Pancake spend the day at a science museum with their dad. This book is a little bit shorter and an easier read than the main series. It will be a quick read for your young fans and a good starter book for early readers. Kids will enjoy following the kittens progress through the museum on the map that begins every chapter. As a parent, I loved that this book featured kittens whose parents were not together but that the story wasn’t about divorce. It was simply about a fun family outing. It is nice for children to see families who resemble their own doing normal happy things. For a mother of reluctant readers, age-appropriate graphic novels like this are a God send. I find myself having a hard time keeping up with their consumption when they get excited about a particular series. CatStronauts is no exception to this trend. Kids who like Narwhal & Jelly while love Waffles and Pancake. This book would pair nicely with a family visit to a science museum. The museum in the story resembled the Science Museum of Minnesota, but the museum they visited had a planetarium like The Bell Museum of Natural History. Either museum would be fun. You can print a map ahead of the visit and trace your path like Waffles and Pancake did. The Science Museum’s map is found here. The kittens learned about constellations at the planetarium. The Bell Museum creates a bi-monthly star map that kids can print to search the night sky for current constellations, moon phases and other astronomical objects and events. One of the perks of living in the Twin Cities is getting the chance to meet so many amazing authors. If your children are super fans, look for occasional appearances at both Red Balloon Bookshop. and Wild Rumpus Books For Young Readers. Or just send him fan mail! Grade level: 1-4 **This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. Family Fun Twin Cities receives a small commission on books ordered through our link. If you want to find a specific local bookstore to support, find them on this map and they’ll receive the full profit off your order. Otherwise, your order will contribute to an earnings pool that will be evenly distributed among independent bookstores (even those that don’t use Bookshop). Learn more here. Featured Image: Drew Brockington, credit Joanne Brockington. Used with permission Wunderkind PR
Books by Drew Brockington
5 Fun Facts about Drew Brockington
Let’s Do Fun Stuff Together
CatStronauts Fun and Toys
In Person Appearances
Book Review: Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-Yum
What Kids Will Like About This Book
What I Like About This Book
Fun Outings to Go With This Book
1. Visit A Science Museum Like the Kittens & DadCat
2. Get Out of the City Lights to View the Night Sky
3. Meet Drew Brockington
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