Dan Abdo and Jason Patterson are the talented duo behind the comic tales of best friends Blue, Barry & Pancakes. There's Blue, the thoughtful bookworm, Barry, the brilliant inventor, and Pancakes, the happy-go-lucky adventurer. Despite their differences, they ALWAYS have each other's backs… 

This graphic novel series is perfect for kids beginning to read independently, with gloriously silly storylines, illustrated in the brightest colours. So far there are three books in the series, with the first book Beach Ball Bedlam recently shortlisted for The Week Junior Book Awards.   

Dan & Jason dropped in to LR4K HQ to tell us a bit more about Blue, Barry & Pancakes, about working together, and shared the books that turned them into readers.

Q. Blue, Barry and Pancakes are quite different characters – which do you resemble most closely? 

A. All artists secretly sneak themselves into their characters—so yeah, we’re totally all three. But TODAY? Dan’s full-on Pancakes: loud, bouncy, and one terrible idea away from a complete and total fiasco. Jason’s gone full Barry: creatively inspired, deep in thought, and clearly destined for artistic greatness. Ask us tomorrow and we’ll both be Blue—lying on the couch with a comic book in one hand and way too many snacks in the other, wondering, “Is this too many snacks?” (Spoiler: it’s NEVER too many.)

Q. Describe your working relationship and how you come up with the plots for the books. 

A. We’ve been working together since dinosaurs roamed the earth (okay, maybe just the '90s), and our process is basically barely controlled chaos. One of us will blurt out something like, “What if Pancakes was so good at balloon art she made a whole planet out of balloons?” and the other one’s like, “YES. OBVIOUSLY.” Then we start bouncing ideas around like a hot potato in a bounce house. We draw, write, laugh, erase, snack, redraw, rewrite, and laugh some more. If it doesn’t make us crack up, it doesn’t go in. Rule #1: if we’re not having fun, nobody else will either.

Q. What’s the most fun thing about creative collaboration? 

A. We love working together. We love laughing together. We’re best friends who get to make weird, funny, ridiculous cartoon books all day—and that’s pretty much our dream job. But the best part? Making stories that connect with kids. Stories that say, “Hey, you’re not alone,” even if everything around you feels totally bonkers. If we can make a kid laugh and feel seen? That’s the good stuff. That’s the real magic.

Q. Do you ever have ideas you think are just too silly? (I’m hoping not!) 

A. Too silly?? NEVER. “Too silly” is where we start. We’ve had time-travel hats that let you meet your heroes, giant robo mechs bent on total sports domination, and ancient wrestling feuds between sentient rock formations. If an idea makes us laugh, that’s usually a sign we’re on the right track. So no—we don’t fear the silly. We celebrate it. 

Q. The friendship between your characters feels very true and gives the books a solid base no matter what is happening. Are you conscious of that or is it something that progressed naturally?

A. Both! We definitely think about it, but it also comes from a real place—our own friendship. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, so we know what it’s like to argue, forgive, go on wild adventures, and still be there for each other when it really counts. So even if our characters are battling inflatable giant balloon gorillas or competing in a yeti-sponsored dance-off, that friendship underneath it all is totally real. It’s the peanut butter holding the sandwich together.

Q. What are the books that turned you into readers? 

A. We both got hooked on stories early—thanks to Dan’s older brothers’ old X-Men comics (they were totally off-limits, which made them even better). From there it was Tintin, Calvin and Hobbes, anything by Shel Silverstein, and The Hobbit. Those books felt like magic doors—some opened to wild adventures, some to big feelings, and some just made us laugh so hard milk came out our noses. They made reading feel like freedom—and we’ve been chasing that feeling ever since.

Q. Which authors and artists in the graphic novel world do you most admire? 

There are so many amazing creators out there! We’re huge fans of Jeff Smith —Bone was a total mind-blower for us. We also really admire Mikey Please for his wild imagination and inventive storytelling, Daniel Warren Johnson for his explosive energy and emotion, Tillie Walden for her beautiful, introspective work, and Kate Beaton, who somehow makes comics that are both hilarious and incredibly smart. The graphic novel world is bursting with talent right now, and it’s a thrill to be part of it.

Q. What does LoveReading4Kids mean to you?

A.To us, LoveReading4Kids is all about spreading the joy of stories. It’s a place where kids - and parents and teachers - can discover books that spark their imagination. We’re big believers in reading for fun because when kids find books they truly enjoy, it opens up everything. 

LoveReading4Kids helps make those magical connections happen, and we’re so happy to be part of that mission.

Find all three books in the series below, with extra activities to help you make your own comic too!