Book Review - Mr Wolf's Pancakes

Reading to children is a great way to develop their communication skills.

One way to increase a child’s interest in reading is to choose books on a topic the child is interested in, or featuring events they can relate to. Overton Library often has a display featuring a theme, such as Christmas or Halloween.

In February the children at Overton Playgroup & Preschool enjoyed a story about pancakes. Here are some ideas around how to expand a story to really engage your young readers, asking questions about what is happening and how the characters might be feeling.

Mr Wolf’s Pancakes

By Jan Fearnley

Mr Wolf fancies some pancakes. He doesn’t know how to make them so he looks in a recipe book, but this doesn’t help him.

Why? Because the book is upside down!

He asks his neighbour Chicken Licken to help him, but she shouts “No” and shuts the door in his face.

What did she do? She is very rude to him. It makes him feel sad.

He very nicely asks Little Red Riding Hood to lend him a basket to carry his shopping but she says “No, clear off!”

How does he carry his shopping home? He uses his chin. The eggs will break if he drops them.

He isn’t very good at cooking either, so kindly asks the three little pigs to help him make them and offers to share them, but they shout “No chance” and slam their door. So he perseveres and enjoys the challenge of making and flipping delicious pancakes. They smell amazing and all the neighbours would like to eat some and come to Mr Wolf’s house to ask for some.

After the story we talked to the children about being helpful. Holly said “they should help him then he would have given them a pancake”.

Then we talked about making pancakes. Here’s what they said - Finley is helpful he stirs the pancake mix for mummy. James helps mummy to flip the pancake. Sammy’s daddy flips the pancakes and catches them. Linus likes syrup on his pancakes.

Happy story-telling!