Curious George Makes Pancakes ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Curious George Makes Pancakes
By Margret & H.A. Rey's
(Scholastic Inc., 1998)

Indulgence me for a minute. I'm on a breakfast roll here. Waffles, pancakes, bacon, eggs, biscuits, gravy, sausage, cinnamon rolls, . . .

Everyone knows Curious George, that innocent-but-always-getting-into-trouble monkey who lives with the man with the yellow hat.

In Curious George Makes Pancakes, George, always curious, went to the Pancake Breakfast Day at the community park. Soon George began dabbling at the pancake station where long lines began to form once people saw the monkey making pancakes. What began as topping pancakes with blueberries turned into working the pancake griddle and assembling stacks of sticky pancakes. Sticky George ended up in the dunk tank, where he again inspired long lines of customers waiting to dunk the now not sticky George.

Curious George is just a funny lovable monkey. This book would be fun to read before a community breakfast or celebration days where breakfast is served or dunk tanks are in use. Or just before you make pancakes for breakfast.

KID KANDY:

Make Pancakes & List Sticky Things

One of my favorite memories is of my mom painstakingly creating our names in pancake batter. We loved eating our names, sticky and all.

1. Mix up pancake batter. Let the littles help! Sticky, messy, or not - cooking is a wonderful bonding and learning activity for kids.

2. Put the batter in a pitcher. Write each child's name in batter and cook name pancakes.

3. Serve with butter, blueberries (just like George), and syrup.

4. Anyone sticky? Start talking about other things that are sticky - tape, glue, lollipops, and so on. See how many sticky items you can list. Add to your mental sticky list as you have drive time in the car, wait time in line, or sitting time at appointments.

Have a sticky fun day!

Pancakes, Pancakes! - Picture Books & Circles

Pancakes, Pancakes!
Ready to Read Version
Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle
(Scholastic, Inc., 1990)



Circles
Welcome Books, City Shapes
By Jan Kottke
(Scholastic Inc., 2000)

Stuck on circles!

Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle is a pancake classic. While this version is simplified remake of the original book for early readers, it still gives children the excitement of reading about pancakes.

Pancakes, Pancakes! is the story of a boy who wants pancakes for breakfast. This is not as easy as one would think. Pancakes, Pancakes! takes place on an old-fashioned farm where meals are prepared the old way. So the boy, Jack, has to collect and gather all of the items necessary for pancakes - from milking the cow, making butter, and grinding wheat, to heading downstairs to the cellar to retrieve jam.

I love the way Eric Carle lets readers learn about the origins of a favorite meal. His signature style of illustrating shines through with beautiful colors.

And while we are talking about pancakes, how about those circles?

Circles is a simple non-fiction book that helps boys and girls identify circles in their surroundings. Circles includes important non-fiction characteristics, like a table of contents, bolded new words, a glossary, and an index.

You can't go wrong with pancakes and circles!

KID KANDY:

Circle Hunt

After reading the books, go on a circle hunt. You can hunt in two ways:

1. Ask your child to go around the house and find items that are round or circle-shaped. Make a pile of circle shapes. (A solid circle shape like a ball is called a sphere.) Compare the circle-shaped items.

2. Go for a circle walk. Point out all of the circle shapes you find in nature and man-made constructions.

IF you are really energetic, take photographs of some of the circle shapes. Make your own book of circles by printing out photos and adding them to a memory book (the little photo album books with sleeves for photos) or taping on cardstock. Read!

Learning about shapes (and eating them in the form of pancakes) is a necessary skill for young children. You can keep your (pan)cake and eat it, too!


Angie Quantrell loves challenging children to find shapes in their environment. She especially enjoys cooking with kids and making a mess while having fun and learning at the same time.

Hey, Pancakes! - Picture Books

Hey, Pancakes!
Written by Tamson Weston
Illustrated by Stephen Gammell
(Scholastic Inc., 2003)

We're on a pancake roll!

Hey, Pancakes! is a funny tale of children who make pancakes. Wait, maybe it is a scary book! They do make quite a mess. Oh, boy. Do they. I'm not sure where the adults are in this fantastically illustrated book, but there is plenty of entertainment with the children and the dog. And pancakes.

Hey, Pancakes! includes a recipe for Grandma's Pancakes. Maybe you can make your recipe and grandma's for a taste test.

KID KANDY:

Making Pancakes Make-Believe Fun

~ Add cooking pots, pans, pancake turner, bowl, whisk, measuring tools, aprons, plates, and forks to the play kitchen area.

~ If you don't have a toy kitchen, use markers to transform a box into a stove.

~ Cut circle pancakes from tan felt.

~ Cut small squares of yellow felt for pats of butter.

~ Cut odd, squiggly shapes from brown felt for syrup.

~ Recycle an old syrup bottle or squeeze bottle. Fill with brown yarn pieces or scrap paper to resemble syrup. Glue closed!

~ Make pancakes!


KID KANDY is an activity feature that resembles a healthy meal. FIRST you read the book (eat the dinner). THEN you get dessert (a fun activity after the meal). I'd love to know about your KID KANDY activity adventure.

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Pancakes for Breakfast - Picture Books

Pancakes for Breakfast
By Tomie dePaola
(Schlastic Inc., 1978)

Who loves pancakes for breakfast?

We all do! Pancakes for Breakfast will be a treat for your youngsters.

This wordless book will delight young readers. Once they know the storyline, they are free to reread and retell Pancakes for Breakfast as often as they like.

Based on a farm, Pancakes for Breakfast shows the old-fashioned steps for making pancakes, from getting the eggs from the hens, to making the butter from the milk that was just previously secured from the cow. The surprise ending, after all of that work for fresh pancakes, is a fun twist.

Dig out those beaters and cooking supplies.

KID KANDY:

You know it. Make pancakes for breakfast!

There are many pancakes choices available for us in current times. One recipe is included on the pages of a cookbook featured in a page illustration from Pancakes for Breakfast. Or check your favorite cookbook. Or use a pancake mix. Or go out to a restaurant for pancakes. You can even choose different toppings or ingredients to include in the batter - chocolate chips, bacon, cheese, or whatever meets your fancy.

The most important thing about making pancakes - let your child be right in the middle of the pouring, mixing, stirring, and eating. That's right. They will love you for it.

What's that you say? Messy? Well, of course it is. But you can just enlist your little helpers to lend a hand for the cleanup when the pancakes have mysteriously disappeared into hungry tummies.

There is nothing better for young children (or children of any age) than hands-on experience. Here is your chance to prepare them for college and living on their own.

Everyone needs to know how to make pancakes!


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Angie Quantrell loves pancakes. Sometimes for supper!