Waffle

by Chris Raschka

What's with Waffle?Well, he waffles, worries, wobbles, and waits.

Why?

Well...watch.

"Wow." He Wins

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Friendship

Hardcover

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

Chris Raschka is the illustrator of The Hello, Goodbye Window, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He is also the illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Yo! Yes?; Charlie Parker Played Be Bop; Mysterious Thelonious; John Coltrane’s Giant Steps; Can’t Sleep; and The Magic Flute. He lives with his wife and son in New York City.

Reviews

[Sabeen]

This was a book with great wit. It was really fun to read. Although it has very very few words and not much vocabulary it is good for children who are learning about rhymes and how different words have similar sounds. I think it also lets the child while reading articulate and think about the text even more because it is not really known what waffle is trying to do until the very end.

[Jaelyn J.]

This book is so fun and entertaining. i could definitely imagine reading this book to a bunch of preschoolers. It is fun, imaginative, and a teaches a wonderful lesson about believing in yourself.
A very far reaching activity you could do with this book is to scramble up student's name and help put the letters back in the correct order while sounding out each letter.

[Jermeria Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would use Waffle to show my students that sometimes we are indecisive about making choices and they are not alone in the process. After reading this book, students can see what will happen if they just try. This book is great for text to self connection.

[Chantia Singleton]

Waffle was such a cute, simple book. I will be implementing this in my classroom as a social emotional book & activity. I will introduce it by asking if there is anything that the children ever wished they could do. Perhaps we could even illustrate a photo of us doing the one thing that we wished we could do. We will also make a list of the wishes.
I will ask them what waffle means and excitedly introduce the new meaning of the word and then have an open discussion about what we think the book 'Waffle' is about. After reading, we will reflect on the notion that almost anything is possible if we just believe in ourselves.

[Xin Luan · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is colorful book. There are all kinds of color smile faces in this book. I think it is a good book to teach children about different colors. But the style of this book is so abstract. Pictures look like those of Picasso's painting. I am not sure whether young children can understand this book well. However, I think it is a opportunity to teach children what means abstract. Children might have big different understanding for this book. I think it is not a problem because there is no standard answer.

[Tonia Holloway]

This book is great for phonological awareness, alliteration and learning the alphabet. There are" many activities that you could do with this book. I would even change the 'W' in the story to a different letter, such as 'T" to help the students work on other letter sounds. Even though the words would no longer be "real" words, just working on the word sounds can help students with literacy development.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waffle is full of self-doubt, but he pushes past that and flies! Acrylic and ink illustrations are full of emotion. It's something readers can connect with on a wordless level. So much of what readers view are Waffle's inner voices tormenting him.

There are some neat things at work here with alliteration and the way text and pictures work together. I'd recommend this title for print awareness and for a unit on emotions, especially the lesser representations seen here. PreK-2+

[Zequoia Hyche · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book very fun and exciting to read. I initially thought that this book was going to be based off of an actual waffle; however it turns out that the word waffle was used as a verb and an expression. In the story, the definition of waffle is conveyed as being confused,not sure,or indecisive. This book would be a great way to help teach children how to form the "W" sound, because it repeatedly mentions the word, waffle. I really like this book. Great read!

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waffle is worried. Waffle wants to do something but he lacks the confidence to give it a go...but after a bunch of different feelings, silly illustrations, and fun word play; Waffle works up the courage to FLY!

The message might be over the heads of younger readers but this book is fun for children of all ages.

[David Turner · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was confusing and did not have much of a plot at all. Also the illustrations were not to my liking. I could see how some very young readers, those learning to read before schooling, could like this book and it would be beneficial for them because it is very easy to read as the most frequent word in the book is indeed Waffle.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

You just don't know what to expect with a Raschka book. In this one he works his magic by playing with "waffle" and other "W" words, his ambiguous depiction of Waffle surrounded by all the "identicals," playful positioning text on the page, and a storyline that demands a second or third reading to take in all the cues the author has been laying down. Before you know it, this book has taken off.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just didn't work for me. I didn't even understand what it was saying or where it was going until the end.

Good message about overcoming fear/indecision
"Now Waffle flies, still a little fearfully but Waffle worked a wonder (within)."

I think you'd have to read it multiple times, though. And I don't think the illustrations help you understand.

[Latise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book to use when teaching the phonological properties of words to children. Chris Raschka has a theme of these random books that don't make any sense, however this book serves a purpose of teaching students on how to manipulate words and sounds.

[Allison Burke]

I love this book! It first reminded me of my kitty, waffle. This Adorable story is about a little man who worries and waffles. He's been through those scary first steps in life, and he knows how it is. This book also shows that it's okay to be scared and that overcoming a fear is important. k-3

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using repetition of the word 'waffle', this story focuses on the W sound. In a different, but fun way, the author conveys that everyone can accomplish something with the skills they have, if they simply make the effort. Also a wonderful use of alliteration!

[Shakeema Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. You could use this book to teach W words. This is a good read for the first day of school because children are on the fence of whether they like school or not. The illustrations are interesting. I thought he would look like a waffle.

[Kiera Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was awesome! I would use this book In my Pre-K classroom to teach the letter sound for the letter "W." Also it would be a great way to introduce academic language of the word waffle. I connected with this book because every time a new semester starts I definitely feel waffled.

[Rashanda Ravenel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It would be a great tool to use for the first day of school. I feel it would capture the attention of students with the undefined illustration and character of waffle. It is also a great tool to set the tone for talking to students about their feelings. I waffle all the time!

[Annette Taylor-james · Rating 5 out of 5]

The topic was a bit deceiving because I was expecting waffle cones or breakfast waffles. However, I was taken aback by the whimsical pictures the colors ere bold and I felt as if I was drawn into waffles experience and wanting to tell him not to worry so much it is going to be alright.

[Asalyn Holliday]

This book is adorable! I think it would be great in an alphabet unit when focusing on W. Like The Kissing Hand, I think this book is good for the first day of school because it let's students know that it's okay to be on the fence about how you feel.

[Crystal Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the illustrations in this book are so unique and interesting. I think children will enjoy this book while also learning phonological awareness. Children can learn this by learning all the words with the /w/ sound.

[Torrie Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first I did not understand what was going on in this book because I was not familiar with the word waffle used in the kind of term it was used in this book. I believe this book promotes good use of new vocabulary that children will be drawn to and want to know what it means.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the colors Raschka uses. Always so vibrant. Some fun alliteration. Learning to believe and trust in your own decisions and what you feel.

[elissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird (which I consider a compliment, but realize that not everyone appreciates), but fun to read aloud.

[Hajnal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice illustrations but I had a hard time figuring out the story.

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just plain odd.

Used for "Snacks:Pop Goes the Corn" storytime-April, 2010.

[Megan Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a lot a bit strange. Andrew didn't really understand it, what with it playing on the letters in the word "waffle." I think he's too young.

[Jon Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found this to be one of Raschka's books I connected less with, the repetition would help children hear the initial /W/ sound. As always, the illustrations are really fun as well.

[Lakeira King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book for phonemic awareness. Lots and lots of "W" words. The illustrations are awesome as well. I never heard of this book but it was a great read and very easy.

[Carla Raymer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to teach the letter "W". The book plays with words that begin with the letter W, making it a great lesson to see how many W words the kids can remember being read in the story.