Book Review: Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, by Josh Funk

Why I Picked It Up:

My son and I were studying in the children’s section in Barnes & Noble, when he looked up and pointed at a display shelf and hollered, “MOM! Totally a book for you!”  It’s official, my son is completely aware of my quirky taste in books and there are varied authors condoning my addiction.  Life is complete.

Why I Finished It:

When I first picked it up, I was concerned it would be another book with a catchy title but little to offer the reader.  I was immeasurably mistaken.  Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast reside within the refrigerator and hear the rumor that there is only one small drop of syrup left.  As the argument over who will have the last drop begins, a race to get to syrup first ensues, and in the end a valuable message is shared.

Who I Would Give It To:

Ultimately this is a seriously fun read aloud.  Anyone who enjoys a good story will enjoy reading this aloud.  I would say this is a great read in all elementary classrooms.

Integration Ideas:

Show students the book trailer! It’s a catchy way to introduce the book, but also have students decide which team they want to be on and why. Be sure to stop periodically as you read and ask if they want to stay on their chosen team or adjust their choice!

Theme (message) and Making Connections

The message of friendship is powerful in this story.  Before beginning the read aloud, have students predict what they think the story will be about.  As you read, stop halfway through and right before the end to have students review and adjust their predictions.  Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast definitely have a change of heart at the end and make a friendship pact.  Have students discuss the theme of the story and the text evidence that proves the author’s message.  Connect the message from this story to their own lives.  Some open-ended questions you might use: Is it okay to compete with your friends?, Is it always important to share?, or What makes a good friend?

Writing – Word Choice, Reading – Vocabulary

The words in this book are astounding!  I was enjoying the story and illustrations so much that I didn’t even realize the complexity of the vocabulary on the first read.  Some examples: conversed, plummeting, clutching, rappelled, slathered, and so many more.  The words won’t trip students up, but it’s definitely worth bringing their attention to the power of words.

In order to teach the words, read the story once for enjoyment, then read again to help students understand the power of language.  As you read the page, ask students about the key word.  Ask students if they know what it means, then ask (and model) for the students how to use context clues to define the words, finally have students act out the word.  For example, read aloud a page:

He scraped himself off and yelled up, “You’re a meanie!”

as Pancake rappelled down a rope of linguini.

Ask students if they have heard the word “rappelled” before.  When I asked, a few students knew the word, because they rock climb, but most students drew a blank.  Next, model for the students how to use context clues to figure out what “rappelled” means.  In the end, can students act out “rappelling”?  This movement will help the brain retain this new word.  This is a great time to AppSmash vocabulary!  One of the sessions we present most to districts is AppSmash Vocabulary, because it’s an engaging, easy way for students to solidify new learning.  Check out this example (click on the picture below) using Skitch to annotate a picture and ShowMe to articulate the meaning.  Before completing the assignment, this student completed a Context Clues Template by hand.

The above app smash is a great way to begin having students use this word in their writing.  But, we would love to teach students to integrate high level verbs into their own writing, their own words.  As a class discuss all the words that Josh Funk uses in Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast.  Discuss not only the words and meanings as stated above, but also why the author would use the word.  Make sure students realize how the words an author uses helps to paint a picture in the readers head, the more specific the better.  Ask students to highlight the verbs they used in their own writing.  Then choose one or two of their verbs to “update”.  Using friends, dictionaries, thesauruses, and mentor texts, increase the power of the verb.  Don’t forget to let them share their updated sentences.

Visualizing and Prepositions

When teaching visualizing stories, it is important to remind students to use all of the five senses.  This book has rich description of the path Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast took to get to syrup first.  An example:

Through Broccoli Forest, past Orange Juice Fountain, they climbed

to the top of Potato Mash Mountain.

Pushing and shoving, they fought for the lead, Toast behind Pancake, who rolled

at high speed.

As you read, have students illustrate their own drawings.  Have them express what they see, hear, taste, smell, and feel.  Once they complete their drawings, have them label what words make them visualize what they drew.

This is also a great mentor text for prepositions.  Even from the example above you can see the potential.  Explain to students that prepositions are words that indicate location.  Ask students the location of Pancake and French Toast in Broccoli Forest.  Focus students on the word “through”.  Have them draw and act out what the word means.  Do the same with past.  Have students locate prepositions in their own work.

Author’s Craft

The author, Josh Funk, also has some great resources on his website for budding writers (of all ages!): http://www.joshfunkbooks.com/#!resources-for-writers/co7m He shares 12 easy steps in his Guide to Writing Pictures Books, including lessons on making every word count, writing with active emotion, rhyming (dos and don’ts), and story arc components.

How have you used Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast in your classroom?