The Space Cat - Nnedi Okorafor;Tana Ford

Invaders from outer space have descended on Nigeria. They have no idea whose home they're messing with.

Ah, yes, the luxurious life of a well-loved cat. It’s the best. And Periwinkle has it the cushiest. But there’s more to this pampered pet than meets the eye. He’s not just a house cat. He’s a space cat. By day, he’s showered with scritches, cuddles, and delicious chicken fillets. By night, he races through the cosmos in his custom-built spaceship.

Between epic battles with squeaky toys and working on ways to improve his ship, Periwinkle is never bored. And when his humans decide to leave the United States and move to the small but bustling town of Kaleria, Nigeria, he’s excited to explore his new home—even after he learns that many Nigerians hate cats. After all, a born adventurer like Periwinkle doesn’t shy away from new experiences. But not everything in Kaleria is as it seems. Soon enough, Periwinkle finds himself on his most out-of-this-world adventure yet, right here on Earth.

Nnedi Okorafor, born to Igbo Nigerian parents in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 8, 1974, is an author of fantasy and science fiction for both adults and younger readers. Her Tor.com novella Binti won the 2015 Hugo and Nebula Awards; her children’s book Long Juju Man won the 2007-08 Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa; and her adult novel Who Fears Death was a Tiptree Honor Book. She is an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the University at Buffalo.

Tana Ford is a Hugo and Eisner Award–winning artist. She’s worked on LaGuardia, Silk, The Amazing Spider-Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Warriors, Jem and the Holograms, Star Trek, and Black Panther. She is a recipient of the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant and was a runner-up for the Lambda Literary Award.

"Okorafor’s storytelling is intuitively episodic, blurring the realities of everyday pet life with gleeful fantasy. Ford’s sci-fi comic illustrations, rich with cosmic blues, purples, and oranges, bring a dynamic energy to this eccentric escapade. A glowing, flowing, and uniquely imaginative cat story." —Kirkus

"The blending of background colors makes for particularly inviting scenes, especially Periwinkle’s lair and the expansiveness of space... Hand this to any feline fans looking to step their toe (paw?) into the sci-fi genre." —Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"The graphic novel’s neo-impressionist art style imparts a moody, ethereal feel to the feisty feline’s free-wheeling space opera." —Publishers Weekly

"[A] whimsical fantasy spinning oddball adventures into an affirmation of loyalty and love." —Booklist

"Periwinkle is a cat after my own heart! He's curious, he loves his family, and he's a stranger in our strange world." —Joann Sfar, author of The Rabbi's Cat

"Nnedi Okorafor’s crazy fun The Space Cat is a witty and imaginative journey that only a true pet owner could create. The lively, expressive artwork by Tana Ford helps make The Space Cat a total delight that lingers beyond the last page." —Peter Ramsey, Academy Award–winning codirector of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse