Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, creators of the graphic novel The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, recently embarked on a two-week tour for the second book in their series, The First Cat in Space and the Soup of Doom (both HarperCollins/Tegen), with stops in the Bay Area, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Houston, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, and more. The ticketed stage-show style events included musical performances, audience participation, and families arriving dressed as their favorite characters from the series. We've gathered highlights from the tour.
Mac Barnett (l.) and Shawn Harris kicked off their tour in the Bay Area with an event hosted by Copperfield’s Books in Petaluma, held at the Polly Klaas Community Theater. Here, they test out the custom moon backdrop that was created for photo ops with attendees.
During one of several musical interludes in Petaluma, selected attendees were challenged to “dance like a rock”—not moving a muscle during an original song performed by Harris.
Politics and Prose hosted a tour stop in Washington, D.C.; here, Harris and Barnett sign posters.
While in D.C., the creators appeared at Walker-Jones Education Campus during a visit arranged by An Open Book Foundation. Here, students show their copies of The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza, newly out in paperback.
Fans who showed up to the tour events in costumes—like this young LOZ 4000 and Moon Queen at a Third Place Books event in Seattle—received an exclusive “Costumed Hero” button.
At an event hosted by Poppy’s Books and Gifts in Spanish Fork, Utah, Harris and Barnett were surprised with a giant version of their new book, created to celebrate the event.
And the winner of the A-cat-emy Award for Best Meow went to… one lucky First Cat fan at the Poppy’s Books event.
Poppy’s Books attendees purchased First Cat merch and lined up for photo ops with the creators.
