The Runaway Pancake

by Mairi Mackinnon (Retold by), Silvia Provantini (Illustrator)

A pancake trying to avoid being eaten by a hungry family, a dog, a rabbit, a duck, a cat, a goat, and a fox is eventually outwitted by a hungry pig.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2006

About the author

Mairi Mackinnon has lived in England, Scotland, France, Italy and Spain, and worked as a teacher, translator and tour manager before joining Usborne. Over the years she has written and edited Usborne books in sixteen languages, from Arabic to Welsh. She lives in a house full of teenagers, books and curious musical instruments.

Reviews

[Farah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story starring a pancake. As a person who only eats breakfast during the weekends - pancakes and dosa, I can't say no to the book. Unfortunately, it was a copycat of The Gingerbread Man and the illustrations were a bit dull.

[cansu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kaçış, heyecan, korku, kaygı, endişe... Bu koşturmaca da tek bir isteği vardı. Yaşamak. Bu adi şerefsizler tarafından yenmemek. İnsanlıktan ümidimi kestim artık. Lütfen onu yalnız bırakın.

[Krisz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really, I have no idea what is the moral of the story, or if I do, then I hope I'm wrong.
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You can't get away from your fate. Even if you try, someone will outsmart you.
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Bah. So 1 star from me. But the target audience (a 4-yr-old) loves it, so that's 5 stars. Plus the illustration is first quality... so it gets 3 stars.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like it when the pancake takes on human capabilities "like thinking and talking" and then is eaten by a pig taking on human qualities "like thinking and talking." While I know that pigs eat pancakes every day, those pancakes do not talk and are not lured to their doom. I'd recommend skipping this book. There are so many other good books to read.

[Sely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is similar to the Gingerbread Man.

[vrenzy goel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations of this book but this story has better versions. I absolutely adore this kiddie story. Sometimes reading small cute books is such a relaxing idea.

[Lala · Rating 1 out of 5]

Traumatizing.

[Sarahroxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to rate this as a good story.
slope game

[Hm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gooood💝

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book in an English Language bookstore in Rome. Incredibly dark for a 10 page childrens book. The pancake was really sinister. I have retold this story many times and it's always a hit.

[Melissa Paul]

good book

[Elizabeth S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to Gingerbread Man, but with its own twists. Easier for my kids to identify with. (We've never made gingerbread men, but we do make pancakes often.)