In the fourth installment of Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris’s New York Times-bestselling series our heroes—First Cat, LOZ 4000, and the Moon Queen— encounter Captain Babybeard and his crew of swashbuckling pirates.
After Captain Babybeard steals a treasure map from the Queen of the Moon, the notorious pirate sees nothing but piles of gold in his future. But a mutiny, led by his first mate, the Martian Pirate James Plantain, leaves Babybeard marooned on a deserted island. Betrayed by his crew, the little captain seeks an unlikely alliance...
Will Captain Babybeard get revenge? Will First Cat, the Moon Queen, and LOZ 4000 recover their treasure map? Or will the moon fall into the hands of a nefarious banana?
- Pages: 272
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Imprint: HarperAlley
- Series: The First Cat in Space
- Publication Date: 4th November 2025
- ISBN: 9780063415522
"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
"This volume continues the nonstop madcap fun; returning readers will not be disappointed, and new ones will quickly become avid followers of the world’s first feline astronaut. Fans of unbridled, melodramatic tomfoolery will be over the moon." — Kirkus Reviews
“A hilarious graphic novel.” — New York Times
"Ridiculously fun and brilliantly illustrated.” — Dav Pilkey, creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants
"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
"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
"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)
"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
Mac Barnett is the 2025–26 Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His picture books include two Caldecott Honor–winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn. Among his other popular books are I Love You Like a Pig, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, and The Magic Word, illustrated by Elise Parsley. He lives in Oakland, California. You can visit him online at macbarnett.com.
Shawn Harris’s first illustrated book, Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, received seven starred reviews, was an Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book, an ALA Notable, and a PW Best Book of the Year. His other picture books include Eggers's What Can a Citizen Do, which was a Time Magazine Best Children’s Book, Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett, and his own author-illustrated works Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and Doing Business. Harris also occasionally moonlights as singer-songwriter of the popular Oakland, California, band the Matches, whose early 2000s album art sparked his illustration career.
In the fourth installment of Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris’s New York Times-bestselling series our heroes—First Cat, LOZ 4000, and the Moon Queen— encounter Captain Babybeard and his crew of swashbuckling pirates.
After Captain Babybeard steals a treasure map from the Queen of the Moon, the notorious pirate sees nothing but piles of gold in his future. But a mutiny, led by his first mate, the Martian Pirate James Plantain, leaves Babybeard marooned on a deserted island. Betrayed by his crew, the little captain seeks an unlikely alliance...
Will Captain Babybeard get revenge? Will First Cat, the Moon Queen, and LOZ 4000 recover their treasure map? Or will the moon fall into the hands of a nefarious banana?
- Pages: 272
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Imprint: HarperAlley
- Series: The First Cat in Space
- Publication Date: 4th November 2025
- ISBN: 9780063415522
"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
"This volume continues the nonstop madcap fun; returning readers will not be disappointed, and new ones will quickly become avid followers of the world’s first feline astronaut. Fans of unbridled, melodramatic tomfoolery will be over the moon." — Kirkus Reviews
“A hilarious graphic novel.” — New York Times
"Ridiculously fun and brilliantly illustrated.” — Dav Pilkey, creator of Dog Man and Captain Underpants
"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
"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
"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)
"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
Mac Barnett is the 2025–26 Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and a New York Times bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than thirty languages. His picture books include two Caldecott Honor–winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole and Extra Yarn. Among his other popular books are I Love You Like a Pig, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, and The Magic Word, illustrated by Elise Parsley. He lives in Oakland, California. You can visit him online at macbarnett.com.
Shawn Harris’s first illustrated book, Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, received seven starred reviews, was an Orbis Pictus Award Honor Book, an ALA Notable, and a PW Best Book of the Year. His other picture books include Eggers's What Can a Citizen Do, which was a Time Magazine Best Children’s Book, Everyone’s Awake by Colin Meloy, A Polar Bear in the Snow by Mac Barnett, and his own author-illustrated works Have You Ever Seen a Flower? and Doing Business. Harris also occasionally moonlights as singer-songwriter of the popular Oakland, California, band the Matches, whose early 2000s album art sparked his illustration career.