The Great Pancake Escape [Hardcover]

Paul Many (Author), Scott Goto (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

When Dad's pancakes magically take flight, it is up to his three children to round up their breakfast. Hot on the trail, the magician's kids pursue the pancakes down alleyways, across town, and through the park. Tracking down a bunch of renegade pancakes is tougher than it seems as the battered bunch blend into the background. But nothing will stop our hungry heroes from chasing down a hot meal. Illustrated with Scott Goto's renowned larger-than-life paintings, this tale of adventure is the perfect concoction to entice young readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a magician father bungles breakfast, magical hotcakes lead three hungry children on a wild chase in this rhyming tale of pancake pursuit: "We had no chance to stop them as they leaped up on their edges, skittered quickly out the door, and rolled right past the hedges." The children (and readers) spot the fleeing flapjacks posing as manhole covers, dog frisbees and wheels on in-line skates, and at one point, in an apparent nod to Magritte, they serve as umbrellas for some bowler-hatted citizens. At last, a backwards spell summons the pancakes home. In his first picture book, YA novelist Many (These Are the Rules) employs rhythmic, playful verse (the cakes take wing and become "batter-flies" at one point); an author's note points out that the words can be sung to the tune of "O, Susanna." Uneven type enclosed in blobs of batter reflects the frenzy, as do Goto's (Heat Wave!) dizzying close-ups. Far from appetizing in appearance, the gaping mouths and wide eyes on both people and animals and Goto's use of browns and eerie greens lend a portentous feel, and some parts are almost spooky (e.g., the father sports a fiendish smile and wild gaze when spellcasting amid flames and smoke). The hyperbolic art proves a curiously unsettling accompaniment for this escapist tale. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3--What do you get when you mix together a magician father who loves to make breakfast, a bunch of hungry kids, and a recipe from a book of magic? Pancakes that jump off the griddle and run out the door! Many's first picture book follows a family through city streets as they try to round up their fleeing flapjacks. The author tells the story in simple verse, which unfortunately, by the end, begins to suffer slightly from "tired rhyme syndrome." On the last page, he suggests that readers could sing the text to the tune of "O, Susanna" and includes a chorus to insert between stanzas. The suggestion is a good one and the result is a much perkier reading experience. The expressive and luminous illustrations also enliven it. Goto tells the visual story from a multitude of angles and vantage points to keep things interesting and rolling along. Children will enjoy spotting renegade pancakes as they make their getaway by disguising themselves as traffic lights, Rollerblade wheels, Frisbees, and other circular objects. And while the solution to the situation is conjured up rather conveniently, readers will applaud the children's decision to forego pancakes in favor of frozen waffles instead. The cover art is well designed for eye-appeal, making the book an attractive addition to the canon of lively food tales.
Carol L. MacKay, Camrose Public Library, Alberta, Canadaasq
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802787959
• ISBN-13: 978-0802787958
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,289,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kitchen Magic, December 12, 2003

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Great Pancake Escape (Hardcover)

"The Great Pancake Escape" is an adventure story about magical fleeing flapjacks. This adventure starts on an ordinary day when three kids wait patiently for their father to perform the usual kitchen magic. As he juggles milk and flour and tosses ingredients into a bowl, his kids notice he is using the "wrong book."

Suddenly, amidst smoke and fire, the pancake batter leaps into the pan and the pancakes start to make themselves. This might sound like a good idea until they start to hiss, leap and hop. Then the kids shout "Watch out, Pop!"

In a "gingerbread boy" fashion, the pancakes leap onto their edges and roll out the door.

"We couldn't cry out "murder!" Yelling "Fire" would be rash. So we loudly bellowed "Pancakes!" then took off at a dash."

Soon, all three children notice that the pancakes have replaced wheels, a steering wheel, the traffic lights and even a manhole cover on the city street. This almost seems normal when compared to a few pages later when it is raining "syrup." I love when the pancakes turn into umbrellas. The kid in me loves the idea of the rain being made out of maple syrup. What a delicious idea and half the picture looks like it jumped right out of an art gallery. Scott Goto uses interesting perspectives. As a reader, you really feel that you are being pulled right into the story.

Finally, the children return home and after showing their "magician" father that he used the wrong book, they manage to call back all the pancakes. The only problem is that the pancakes turn back into batter.

Younger children will enjoy finding the "cute bunny rabbit" in each scene and looking for "circle" shapes. The art is stunning, imaginative and quite impressive. Each time you read the story, you see something new.

The entire story teaches children that even if you don't succeed at what you first started, you can always make waffles. Life is a recipe that might change at any moment, so they should be prepared to adapt to new situations. The children do however work together to retrieve the pancakes and therefore did persist in their mission until the end. The children didn't whine or cry about their lost breakfast, they just took charge and fixed waffles.

Paul Many has been making pancakes from the time he was ten years old. He was known for making pancakes with chocolate and raisins. Now he enjoys making blueberry pancakes.

Kids will probably want to make pancakes after you read this book, so look for " Maple Grove Breakfast in a Crate" right here at Amazon. If you are looking for a wonderful gift, you could include this book in a gift basket.

I'm going to go make waffles
with maple syrup and whipped cream!

~The "now hungry" RebeccaReview.com

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LA Times' "Best Children's Book", January 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Pancake Escape (Hardcover)

Just a note to let readers know that the Los Angeles Times has named this wonderful book as one (of only nine) of the "Best Children's Books of 2002."

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great caper!, June 19, 2002

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Pancake Escape (Hardcover)

It should have been another dull yawning in the dawning, slapping ingredients together for a hurried breakkie. Instead, Dad reads from the wrong recipe book, & all of a sudden Ka-BLAM! - batter is sizzling & pancakes are wriggling - off the kids' plates, through the house, out the door!

If the kids want their breakfast they're going to have to chase off after it - through town where the stampeding pancakes have glomped onto taxi wheels, skipped over ponds & tumbled mailmen!

THE GREAT PANCAKE ESCAPE is written in rhyming verse, & is a rollicking read with all the ingredients for a tasty feast of words.

Fun reading & laughing for the whole family & Scott Goto's lively illustrations are the maple syrup!