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Pancakes for Breakfast
This wordless picture book follows the trials of a little old lady who attempts to make pancakes for her breakfast. “The optimistic determination of the woman and the gentle humor of the illustrations make this an appealing book for the very young.”-- School Library Journal
This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades K-1, Stories).
This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades K-1, Stories).
32 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 1978
101 people are currently reading
1118 people want to read
About the author
Tomie dePaola
440 books897 followersTomie dePaola (pronounced Tommy da-POW-la) was best known for his books for children.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
He had a five-decade writing and illustrating career during which he published more than 270 books, including 26 Fairmount Avenue, Strega Nona, and Meet the Barkers.
Tomie dePaola and his work have been recognized with the Caldecott Honor Award, the Newbery Honor Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, and the New Hampshire Governor's Arts Award of Living Treasure.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 369 reviews
June 22, 2016
You know, I have been reading Tomie dePaola’s works ever since I was a child and out of all of those works, I had never once read a book of Tomie dePaola’s that was…WORDLESS! Now, I have been reading many wordless picture books for ages, but I never knew that Tomie dePaola wrote a wordless picture book called “Pancakes for Breakfast” which was indeed his first wordless picture book!
The story starts off with an old woman waking up from bed, along with her dog and cat and she wanted to make a nice batch of pancakes for breakfast. So, the old woman went to her kitchen to get the ingredients she needed for the pancakes, but she realized that she did not have any eggs for the batter. So, she goes out to the barn to get some eggs from the chickens and after she got the eggs, she realizes that she does not have any butter for the batter. So, she goes outside to milk her cow and create the butter with the milk she churned from the cow and after she made the butter, she realizes that she does not have any maple syrup! So, she goes to her neighbor’s house to get some syrup and just as the old woman got all the ingredients to make her pancakes…
Does the old woman finally get the chance to eat her pancakes?
Read this book to find out!
Wow! For a wordless picture book, this was some pretty impressive work from Tomie dePaola, especially when you are so used to Tomie dePaola’s works having text to narrate the stories! Tomie dePaola’s artwork really sold this story as it shows how an old woman wanted to make pancakes for breakfast, but keeps on forgetting the essential ingredients to make her pancakes such as milk, eggs, butter and syrup. It was cute seeing the old woman try to obtain the ingredients for the pancakes in many different ways such as milking her cow to get the butter and milk, getting eggs from her hens and getting syrup from her next door neighbor as it gives the story an old fashioned and traditional vibe that really made this story stand out from the other modern day stories about obtaining ingredients for a recipe. I also loved the images of both the dog and the cat as it was adorable seeing them accompany the old woman in her need to obtain the ingredients for her pancakes.
Overall, “Pancakes for Breakfast” is a truly cute story about an old woman trying to find the right ingredients for her pancakes that many readers, who had to go through the same experience, no matter how differently they went about it, would definitely relate to! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book.
I would like to thank my Goodreads friend Crystal Marcos for recommending me this book!
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
April 1, 2011
This is a very fun story. A woman gets up and longs to have pancakes for breakfast. She reads the recipe (the only words in this otherwise wordless picture book, but that makes it nice if anyone wants to make the recipe themselves except, obviously, those of us who are vegan) and goes to the cupboard only to realize she doesn't have eggs (so she goes out to the barn to get some from the chickens), milk (so she goes out to milk the cow), etc. It's a cute way to show where our food comes from but is of course very idealized. In the end, there is a big surprise when the lady gets home from getting the maple syrup. I'm not sure I was especially pleased with how she finally gets some pancakes for breakfast; I know it was meant to be humorous but I found it slightly selfish. Still, it's a fun book, overall.
August 22, 2024
Tomie dePaola's art works well for a (mostly) wordless picture book. His expressive, comical illustrations provide everything necessary to forward a simple story like Pancakes for Breakfast without dialogue or written narrative. All we need is a window into the main character's thoughts, and the rest comes naturally in this humorous tale of a little old lady whose craving for pancakes isn't as easy to satisfy as she expected.
It's a lovely, snowy morning out in the country for the woman, who lives alone with a dog and cat in her tiny house. She envisions a mouthwatering stack of pancakes slathered in butter for breakfast, but first she needs to cook them. When she finds that she's out of eggs, she gathers a few from the henhouse; when she sees her milk is gone, she fetches a pail and heads to the barn to finesse fresh milk from the cow. When she discovers her jar of maple syrup is empty, she dresses up nice and visits a neighbor to buy a full container. She could have given up on having pancakes at any point, but she's persevered this far and the hot, buttery reward is closer than ever. However...maybe today just isn't her day. With all her patient work ruined, the woman gets a new idea how she can munch on a warm pile of flapjacks. This morning might work out in her favor after all.
Pancakes for Breakfast shows that our plans going awry doesn't mean our day has to be spoiled. We just have to get a bit creative. The little old lady's way of having pancakes in spite of everything serves as a nice punchline to this book, a classic Tomie dePaola ending. There's no big message or insight, but Pancakes for Breakfast is fun, and I might give it the full two stars. I love Tomie dePaola's whimsical style.
It's a lovely, snowy morning out in the country for the woman, who lives alone with a dog and cat in her tiny house. She envisions a mouthwatering stack of pancakes slathered in butter for breakfast, but first she needs to cook them. When she finds that she's out of eggs, she gathers a few from the henhouse; when she sees her milk is gone, she fetches a pail and heads to the barn to finesse fresh milk from the cow. When she discovers her jar of maple syrup is empty, she dresses up nice and visits a neighbor to buy a full container. She could have given up on having pancakes at any point, but she's persevered this far and the hot, buttery reward is closer than ever. However...maybe today just isn't her day. With all her patient work ruined, the woman gets a new idea how she can munch on a warm pile of flapjacks. This morning might work out in her favor after all.
Pancakes for Breakfast shows that our plans going awry doesn't mean our day has to be spoiled. We just have to get a bit creative. The little old lady's way of having pancakes in spite of everything serves as a nice punchline to this book, a classic Tomie dePaola ending. There's no big message or insight, but Pancakes for Breakfast is fun, and I might give it the full two stars. I love Tomie dePaola's whimsical style.
March 19, 2021
Yes! This! I've been looking for wordless picture books my kids can narrate to me and it's been tougher than I thought. But they understood this very well.
A woman who lives alone wants to make pancakes, but she's out of ingredients and has to gather them. There's no narration or dialogue, but the containers have words on them like 'milk' or 'eggs', so I did read that part. But outside of that, this worked really well.
A woman who lives alone wants to make pancakes, but she's out of ingredients and has to gather them. There's no narration or dialogue, but the containers have words on them like 'milk' or 'eggs', so I did read that part. But outside of that, this worked really well.
July 22, 2019
The prolific (and prodigiously talented) Tomie Depaola, creator of the
Strega Nona
books, delivers an entertaining wordless picture-book in Pancakes for Breakfast. Following the story of a little old woman who wakes up one day and decides that she is in the mood for pancakes, only to discover that she is out of eggs (which she must go collect from the hen-house), milk (which she must get from the cow), butter (which she must churn), and maple syrup (which she must fetch from a neighbor), the visual narrative concludes on a hilarious note, as she returns home to discover that her dog and cat have wreaked havoc in her absence, and that, if she wants pancakes, she'll have to pay another visit...
I enjoyed this story, which 'reads' exceptionally well, despite the absence of words, and (as always) appreciated the humor of dePaola's artwork. Although simple enough, the illustrations are immensely expressive - I liked the little old lady's cat and dog! - and carry the story admirably. The ending was entertaining, although I think that if one of my neighbors showed up and ate my entire breakfast, there might be trouble!
I enjoyed this story, which 'reads' exceptionally well, despite the absence of words, and (as always) appreciated the humor of dePaola's artwork. Although simple enough, the illustrations are immensely expressive - I liked the little old lady's cat and dog! - and carry the story admirably. The ending was entertaining, although I think that if one of my neighbors showed up and ate my entire breakfast, there might be trouble!
January 15, 2011
This book holds a bit of nostalgia for me. I remember reading it when I was a child. Many of my favorite books featured food. You can tell by the name this one definitely has something to do with food. I was so excited to read this wordless picture book to my little girl. I am happy to report it is a hit with her too.
The story is charmingly simple and the illustrations are adorably humorous. I think Tomie dePaola really knows what children like to see.
Pancakes for Breakfast follows a woman who wakes up one chilly morning along with her dog and cat and craves pancakes for breakfast. I enjoyed watching her make old fashion pancakes straight from the farm. It is a good reminder that not everything comes out of a box. It is great to see the woman's determination in getting those pancakes in her belly and she has funny mishaps along the way. A cute added touch is her dog and cat are always nearby. You will have to read this one yourself to see if she gets those luscious pancakes for breakfast. After reading you will surely want some too!
The story is charmingly simple and the illustrations are adorably humorous. I think Tomie dePaola really knows what children like to see.
Pancakes for Breakfast follows a woman who wakes up one chilly morning along with her dog and cat and craves pancakes for breakfast. I enjoyed watching her make old fashion pancakes straight from the farm. It is a good reminder that not everything comes out of a box. It is great to see the woman's determination in getting those pancakes in her belly and she has funny mishaps along the way. A cute added touch is her dog and cat are always nearby. You will have to read this one yourself to see if she gets those luscious pancakes for breakfast. After reading you will surely want some too!
September 5, 2020
Wow. Those are some labour-intensive pancakes.
I probably read this book at some point during my childhood (it's almost as old as me!) but I don't really remember it. It's a wordless picture book in which a woman wakes up with a hankering for pancakes. So she gets out her cookbook, only to realize that she's missing a few ingredients. She gathers some eggs, milks a cow, churns some butter, and buys some maple syrup... only to find that her housemates have been very naughty in her absence. The book ends amusingly with the old lady imposing on some bewildered neighbours.
This book is suitable even for very young children, as there's nothing to read (except the recipe). Readers can make up their own words as they work their way through the charming illustrations.
Overall, this is one I would recommend, despite its age. It's cute and amusing, and leaves one hungry for pancakes!
Quotable moment:
I probably read this book at some point during my childhood (it's almost as old as me!) but I don't really remember it. It's a wordless picture book in which a woman wakes up with a hankering for pancakes. So she gets out her cookbook, only to realize that she's missing a few ingredients. She gathers some eggs, milks a cow, churns some butter, and buys some maple syrup... only to find that her housemates have been very naughty in her absence. The book ends amusingly with the old lady imposing on some bewildered neighbours.
This book is suitable even for very young children, as there's nothing to read (except the recipe). Readers can make up their own words as they work their way through the charming illustrations.
Overall, this is one I would recommend, despite its age. It's cute and amusing, and leaves one hungry for pancakes!
Quotable moment:
October 18, 2008
Synopsis
This is a wordless picture book about a woman who attemps to make herself pancakes for breakfast.
Review
This is an incredibly charming book. Readers are walked through the process of making pancakes including collecting eggs, milking a cow and churning butter. The deceptively simple pictures reveals the thoughts and emotions of the woman beautifully. A second reading reveals the impending mischieviousness of the dog and cat are revealed. Unlike a book with words, this book allows both parent and child to be active in telling the tale. An older child could even tell the story herself even without a high reading level. The straighforward plot really gives a child a strong sense of the structure of a story. I can see this being a favorite for years.
Critical Reviews
No available reviews.
Other Bibliographic Information
Published in 1978 by Harcourt Brace & Company
Pages: 28
Ages: 3-7
This is a wordless picture book about a woman who attemps to make herself pancakes for breakfast.
Review
This is an incredibly charming book. Readers are walked through the process of making pancakes including collecting eggs, milking a cow and churning butter. The deceptively simple pictures reveals the thoughts and emotions of the woman beautifully. A second reading reveals the impending mischieviousness of the dog and cat are revealed. Unlike a book with words, this book allows both parent and child to be active in telling the tale. An older child could even tell the story herself even without a high reading level. The straighforward plot really gives a child a strong sense of the structure of a story. I can see this being a favorite for years.
Critical Reviews
No available reviews.
Other Bibliographic Information
Published in 1978 by Harcourt Brace & Company
Pages: 28
Ages: 3-7
June 21, 2011
Oh, I love the dog and the cat. And the virtually wordless story was going along in a way where I thought this would be a solid 2 ½ or 3 star book (despite my finding of the cow’s milk & chicken eggs & cow’s milk butter unappealing, not to mention rather unrealistically procured) and figuring I’d have loved the book when I was a child, but THEN there’s a wonderful and very amusing twist and an equally wonderful ending, and I ended up really liking this book. Very funny! 3 ½ stars (very sad that don’t have maple syrup in the house, though luckily read this when I didn’t feel much like eating)
October 19, 2013
Tomie dePaola is quickly becoming a household favorite. He's a little lengthy for my preschoolers, however, my 5 yr old loves him. dePaola is educational and enjoyable to read. The illustrations have a unique style all their own that even I enjoy while reading. This one was about a woman trying to make pancakes and everything about the process going wrong. I loved how it had no words and so you had to follow the pictures. A fun read.
April 20, 2016
My five year old liked the idea of a book without words. She "read" it to me twice, making up her own versions of the story.
April 5, 2019
Yes! But first you have to make them!
February 20, 2018
“If at first you cannot succeed try, try, try again” read the posting on the wall of the last page of Pancakes for Breakfast by: Tomie dePaola. What a great life lesson this story teaches to our youngest of readers. The wordless book depicts the obstacles the main character faced in her efforts to enjoy a breakfast of pancakes on a cold snowy morning. The character displayed the invaluable lessons of the importance of appropriate problem solving skills. In the midst of the challenges she faced through her attempts to make pancakes taught readers the purpose of patience! In life we all have wants, urges, and desires. The reality is that during the process of attaining what we want we may encounter issues reaching our desired end goals. The question is how do we achieve our desires? The main character’s message to this plaguing question is simple – patience and problem solve!
The author’s choice of writing this story as a wordless book was brilliant! The language and vocabulary, emotion, and imagination that can be infused throughout the storytelling of this book are endless. The linear plot the story follows allows for an easy read for younger readers. This is a story that can be read over and over again and never lose its value or relevance. Pancakes for Breakfast is not only enjoyable and funny, but a story that teaches never to give up on your desires and to keep trying with persistence and a huge dose of patience!
The author’s choice of writing this story as a wordless book was brilliant! The language and vocabulary, emotion, and imagination that can be infused throughout the storytelling of this book are endless. The linear plot the story follows allows for an easy read for younger readers. This is a story that can be read over and over again and never lose its value or relevance. Pancakes for Breakfast is not only enjoyable and funny, but a story that teaches never to give up on your desires and to keep trying with persistence and a huge dose of patience!
August 30, 2024
I find it hard to believe this wordless picture book in horizontal comic panel format was made in 1978. It is one simple, straightforward story that the youngest readers will be able to figure out on their own. This is a great example of a story with a clear moral that has a little twist and doesn't take away from the fun of the story. That moral is explicitly written out in the embroidery art on the wall of the last page. They are the only words in the book, aside from a few labels on food items. Yet the character's offbeat way of accomplishing her goal (pancakes!!) throughout the book makes you laugh when you see that moral hanging over her perfectly contented pose. *wink*
Well worth a read if you love pancakes, spunky characters, setting your prereaders off with a book on their own, everything Tomie DePaola, or studying the craft of illustration in comics or picture books.
Well worth a read if you love pancakes, spunky characters, setting your prereaders off with a book on their own, everything Tomie DePaola, or studying the craft of illustration in comics or picture books.
August 3, 2021
Another good wordless picturebook. It's nice though seeing the snow and pancakes and nice neighbor and annoying cat-dog messed the cooking up.
November 30, 2021
Wordless old school picture book.
Great to learn vocabulary and the old ways in which people did things (like the time consuming process of making your own butter).
Great to learn vocabulary and the old ways in which people did things (like the time consuming process of making your own butter).
August 27, 2022
I adore this book! The illustrations, the story, (told all in the pictures; this is a wordless picture book) and the humorous ending are all so fun.
January 17, 2024
The kids loved coming up with their own thoughts on what was happening, and we all left craving pancakes.
February 5, 2025
A favorite from my childhood. The only words in this book is the recipe. The story is just told by fun pictures.
March 19, 2021
Pretty sure the moral of this story is: pets will always fuck your shit up.
The obvious solution is to turn to a life of breakfast food related crime.
The obvious solution is to turn to a life of breakfast food related crime.
September 7, 2020
This book sparked my interest. It was a well illustrated book! The illustrations are the story! They move the story along in the fact the just by looking at the pictures it tells the story of a woman making pancakes for breakfast.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2023
Winnies current favorite🩷
February 23, 2017
Tomie DePaola's first wordless picture book was definitely a fun one to read. Since the main character doesn't have a name it would be fun to let your children/students pick a name for her. The story chronicles her desire for pancakes to the steps that she takes to make this desire a reality. After finally gathering the required ingredients she returns home with the last ingredient just to find that her pets have destroyed everything. As she watches her desire for pancakes fly away she smells something delicious in the air. She follows the smell to her neighbor's house and they are making....you guessed it! Pancakes! She gives herself a huge stack of pancakes, leaving her neighbors one lonesome pancake. On the last page she is seen sitting in her rocking chair looking full and happy. Tomie DePaola's illustrations have always been exceptional and this book is no different. You are forced to focus more on the illustrations due to the fact that there are no words, but that is not a bad thing at all. The illustrations bring the story to life.
May 2, 2009
This wordless picture book is prefect for young students. Though there is no text at all, the illustrations depict the story flawlessly. The reader follows the steps an old woman takes to make pancakes. However, when she visits the neighbor’s house to borrow syrup, she returns home to find her pets have eaten her freshly made breakfast. However, her appetite is sated when the neighbors offer their pancakes. The story also contains many underlining messages. It demonstrates relationships and how many different components create one final product. The most profound message is perseverance. The final illustration shows a sign reading, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” Although the woman encounters many setbacks, she never abandons the thought of pancakes. I used this during a concept of story assessment on a kindergarten student. It’s a great tool to test a non-reader’s comprehension.
February 26, 2020
Pancakes for Breakfast is a children's picture book illustrated by Tomie dePaola. It is a story about an elderly woman trying to make some pancakes for breakfast, but lack of ingredients and her pets make it a difficult task indeed. Today is Shrove Tuesday (5 March), which in my household is always a time to eat pancakes for breakfast.
The wordless plot is rather simple and straightforward. An elderly woman wakes up wanting some pancakes for breakfast. However, with very little ingredients and her busybody pets getting in the way, it is rather difficult to make. It is a charming and humorous story that is rather apropos not just for today – Pancake Day, but any day. The illustrations are simplistic, but charming and bring a humorous atmosphere to the narrative.
All in all, Pancakes for Breakfast is a wonderfully constructed wordless picture book that celebrates the morning staple of pancakes.
The wordless plot is rather simple and straightforward. An elderly woman wakes up wanting some pancakes for breakfast. However, with very little ingredients and her busybody pets getting in the way, it is rather difficult to make. It is a charming and humorous story that is rather apropos not just for today – Pancake Day, but any day. The illustrations are simplistic, but charming and bring a humorous atmosphere to the narrative.
All in all, Pancakes for Breakfast is a wonderfully constructed wordless picture book that celebrates the morning staple of pancakes.
June 22, 2016
This is a fun story about persistence and determination as well as how cooking involves various ingredients and a step by step process to create a delicious meal.
While it's a "wordless" book, there are lots of subtle words incorporated into the illustrations (such as a complete recipe for pancakes, an egg bin that is labeled eggs, a flour container labeled flour, and framed picture that has a nice motto and theme for the story.)
We enjoyed "reading" this book together, taking turns describing the plot, discussing how we enjoy making pancakes, and describing all the steps involved.
I had to explain the butter churn and how the cream gets turned into butter and how the sap of the maple tree is collected and boiled down into syrup.
While it's a "wordless" book, there are lots of subtle words incorporated into the illustrations (such as a complete recipe for pancakes, an egg bin that is labeled eggs, a flour container labeled flour, and framed picture that has a nice motto and theme for the story.)
We enjoyed "reading" this book together, taking turns describing the plot, discussing how we enjoy making pancakes, and describing all the steps involved.
I had to explain the butter churn and how the cream gets turned into butter and how the sap of the maple tree is collected and boiled down into syrup.
Read
April 15, 2009Tomie dePaola's illustrations are always fun to look at. His drawings are simple, yet they have lots of detail and can easily tell a story all by themselves. In Pancakes for Breakfast, they do just that.
Children will have little trouble following the story of the lady who decides to make pancakes for her breakfast. Some of the steps the lady has to go through to get all the ingredients may be foreign to kids who haven't had any experience with a farm, but the story is still easy to understand and enjoy.
Children will have little trouble following the story of the lady who decides to make pancakes for her breakfast. Some of the steps the lady has to go through to get all the ingredients may be foreign to kids who haven't had any experience with a farm, but the story is still easy to understand and enjoy.
May 21, 2009
This poor lady just wants some pancakes and all these things keep getting in her way! I did like how the main character was awfully persistent. And in the end, she did get her pancakes, so everyone was happy. This story made me smile, another lovely book from the fabulous Tomie dePaola.
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
*Taken from my book reviews blog: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2009...
April 13, 2009
Completely wordless except for the pancake recipe shown in the lady's cookbook, labels on the food containers (flour, eggs, butter, maple syrup), and a couple of signs. At the end, the lady is shown in front of a sign on her wall that says: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." A perfect motto for this lady as she attempts to have pancakes for breakfast. I love the ending.
November 25, 2019
Wordless book
Charming story about determination and problem solving. The woman wants to make pancakes but needs to gather the ingredients. She sets out to get each - one at a time. When she returns with the maple syrup, she discovers her dog and cat have made a mess of the kitchen. She problem solves one more time and eats at the neighbors' home.
Detailed illustrations draw the reader in.
Charming story about determination and problem solving. The woman wants to make pancakes but needs to gather the ingredients. She sets out to get each - one at a time. When she returns with the maple syrup, she discovers her dog and cat have made a mess of the kitchen. She problem solves one more time and eats at the neighbors' home.
Detailed illustrations draw the reader in.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 369 reviews