Waffle [Hardcover]

Christopher Raschka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2001

What's with Waffle?

Well, he waffles, worries, wobbles, and waits.

Why?

Well...watch.

Wow. He Wins!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Wow! Is Waffle ever worried. He worries, he wonders, he wishes, he waits, he even waffles. But will he ever work a wonder within and be brave enough to fly? For every child who has ever waffled in the face of a dreaded next step in life, Waffle's the fellow to hold your hand. He knows how it is. He's been there... and he's triumphed over his fears!

This curious little book from the ingenious Caldecott Honor artist Chris Raschka (Yo! Yes?, Can't Sleep) is all about that moment before taking the plunge, when the decision to just do it or not do it hangs overhead like an ominous rain cloud. Waffle is an odd boy-man: a smear of color for a shy face, on top of another smear that is his torso, over a pair of red-checked harlequin pants. Throughout, as Raschka plays with W words, Waffle nervously ponders the hypotheticals of flying--although we don't know the source of his anxiety until the end, when he actually succeeds. Rows of laughing smiley faces confront him every step of the way, piling on one another to form new shapes--are they mocking or supporting him? Readers of all ages will enjoy pondering the meaning of Raschka's unusual picture book, especially those who tend to waffle just a bit over, say, whether to read this book or spread their wings and fly. (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Once again, Raschka (Yo! Yes?) captures the essence of a mood with the merest hint of text and the briefest of brush strokes. Waffle, a likable fellow who resembles a vaudevillian character sporting what looks like checked plus fours and high laced boots, seems capable only of worrying. "Waffle wondered what if / Waffle wished that he would / Waffle wanted to, well / Waffle would if he were " Each turn of the page reveals the fellow in another hand-wringing pose, clearly trying to work himself up for something. A visual Greek chorus of laughing, multicolored smiley faces watches his anxiety mount. They reorganize themselves into squares, heart shapes and pinwheels while Waffle turns in emotional circles. Just as the fellow's consternation peaks ("Waffle waffled. He felt awful. He was a waffler and wafflers waffle"), Raschka gives way to two spreads filled with the hero swimming in the repeated word "WAFFLE." By the end of the second spread, the letters of the word rearrange themselves into "flew." The Greek chorus, astonished, witnesses the hero as he overcomes his fear and flies. Working in acrylic and ink on a succession of ever-changing solid color backgrounds, Raschka conjures Waffle from a dash of lines and squiggles atop a broad swoop of color. Characteristic of his singularly impressionistic artistic vision, the author/artist plumbs Waffle's emotional depths until the hero comes up on top. Ages 4-7.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books; 1st edition (April 3, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689838387
• ISBN-13: 978-0689838385
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,171,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story about believing in yourself, August 17, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waffle (Hardcover)

"Waffle," by Chris Raschka, is a children's book about the title character. Waffle literally "waffles" before demonstrating his power to fly. Throughout the story his waffling is accompanied by a sort of silent chorus of multicolored faces.

The artwork in "Waffle" is surreal. Waffle himself is a sort of amorphous humanoid figure who appears to have been drawn with a deliberate crudeness. I have to admit, I found the artistic technique quite weird, but I give Raschke credit for trying a different approach to children's book illustration. And the book's message--about believing in your own abilities--is a good one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Maybe a Pancake Would Have Worked Better., July 14, 2006

By 

M. Allen Greenbaum (California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waffle (Hardcover)

An excellent book --for adults-- this is a triumph of concept over story, of imagination over clarity. "Waffle," the title figure (and he is just a figure--drawn in a very diffuse style), is a worrier, a wiggler, and a waffler. At least Chris Raschka's
acrylic and ink illustrations reveal the doubt and introspection in Waffle's eyes and body language. On pages that opposite the pictures of Waffle, repeating faces pose in contrast to waffle's Hamlet-like hesitation.

While the smiling faces forms such shapes as a circle, a tic-tac-toe template, and other organized Busby Berkeley-esque moving patterns, Waffle continues to struggle. "Waffle want to, well--"... "Waffle wobbled." ... Waffle Waffled. He felt awful (that's the cleverest line in the book, by the way). He was a waffler and wafflers waffle." Rather abruptly, Waffle is surround ed by the word "Waffle," repeated about 50 times. Turn the page, and Waffle begins to levitate, as the word "waffle" begins to fragment into syllables and single letters. Clver, this dissapation of Waffle's worries represented by the broken word "Waffle," but pretty heady stuff for a toddler or young reader.

Waffle eventually flies, and now the faces look astonished, then defeated (or something like that, it's hard to tell), and then they disappear. We're left with this comforting message, "Now, Waffle flies, Stilll a little fearfully, but [turn the page] Waffle worked a wonder (within)," and the new, improved Waffle flies vigorously, looking confident in his newfound buoyancy.

I can thnk of three main audiences for the book (although I now see from the other reviews that I underestimated the tastes of other buyers): Adults looking for a "quality" book bu a name author/illustrator, taken with the high concept approach; toddlers too young to get confused, but who will giggle at the word repetition and all those smiling, colorful faces; young elementary shool-age children who may be handed the book by a well-meaning adult. I wonder whether those in the latter group--especially those who tend to worry--will be able to understand or relate to Waffle's sudden and somewhat baffling triumph on the "worries (within)." (That "within" really bugs me; it's written for adults, and sounds like shallow poetic narcissism.) Maybe in conjunction with a good therapist or other talented adult, a child can fill in this Raschka-test. Without that kind of sensitive collarboration; however, "Waffle" is something of a "trophy book," something that adults can point to proudly, but which children may seldom read.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars i should have waffled a little more before buying this one, March 6, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Waffle (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my 5 year old in attempt to help him gain confidence in his ability to take on new tasks. This book was too abstract for him to get anything out of it. The pictures were very bizzarre, what is waffle supposed to be anyhow? Even my three year old did not get anything out of this one. We won't waste any more time on this one. Buzzy the Bumblebee was a much better pick and really got the message across.