Official Review: Patty Cake and Walter Waffle
Posted: 13 Sep 2019, 00:06
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Patty Cake and Walter Waffle" by Portia McGowan Green.]
2 out of 4 stars
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If there was ever an epic battle for world domination between armies representing the three major meals of the day, I wouldn't hesitate to join the ranks of the breakfast army. Breakfast is the best meal of the day: it wins for quality, quantity, the vast array of options, and the ability to set the rest of your day up properly. But you're not here to read about why breakfast rules and both lunch and dinner drool, you're here to learn about Portia McGowan Green's book: The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle!
The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is a children's book about, you guessed it, Patty Cake and Walter Waffle. But it's also about a bunch of other breakfast buddies like Bonita Bacon, Sammy Sausage, EZ-Egg, and Yola Yolk. The book begins with Patty Cake and her best friend, Bonita Bacon, who decide to go to the Butter Bar Restaurant together. As the two are enjoying their time there, other living breakfast foods are introduced and they all have a wonderful time eating and dancing.
There are no hidden meanings or life lessons to be picked up in The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle, but kids can still learn a few things. For example, many of the characters have alliterative names. While there's no mention of what alliteration is in the book, parents can still use these as examples with kids and ask them to come up with some of their own. The book also gives some brief descriptions of some of the characters, explaining that Bonita Bacon is taller than Patty Cake for example, so children can learn about "short" vs "tall". Then there are the food pairs: Patty Cake pairs up with Walter Waffle, Bonita Bacon pairs up with Sammy Sausage, and Terry and Tina Toast are a married couple (who only eats ONE piece of toast?). But most of all, the book fosters creativity. Portia came up with some really unique touches throughout the book, such as Patty Cake's "butter-colored heels" that help her feel taller, and there are some silly song and dance names.
The art in The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle could be better. It's not bad, mind you, but it's a little creepy and certainly not polished. The cover itself is a great example: Patty Cake looks like something out of a horror movie, and Walter Waffle's lines aren't even or complete. He's also missing a sense of depth and looks entirely flat; he looks more like Walter Spreadsheet or Walter Grid Paper. The pages themselves are like a typical Kindle book with images strewn about them. Finally, I found four errors throughout the book, although all four were compound words that should've been one word instead of two ("juke box" three times and "life time" once).
While The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is a cute story, it could've used some work. I prefer children's stories that have prompts and/or lessons tied into them, but there's nothing of that sort to be found here. Instead, parents are forced to bring any educational value to the book themselves. A page or two at the end with discussion questions like "which breakfast character is your favorite?" or "if you had to name another food item character, what would it be?" would've given this book another full star as far as I'm concerned. With that said, my rating of The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is 2 out of 4 stars. Fellow breakfast lovers and alliteration allies may still enjoy the book, but keep in mind that you'll want to read the book yourself first so you can come up with some questions and educational moments for your kids ahead of time.
******
Patty Cake and Walter Waffle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
2 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
If there was ever an epic battle for world domination between armies representing the three major meals of the day, I wouldn't hesitate to join the ranks of the breakfast army. Breakfast is the best meal of the day: it wins for quality, quantity, the vast array of options, and the ability to set the rest of your day up properly. But you're not here to read about why breakfast rules and both lunch and dinner drool, you're here to learn about Portia McGowan Green's book: The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle!
The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is a children's book about, you guessed it, Patty Cake and Walter Waffle. But it's also about a bunch of other breakfast buddies like Bonita Bacon, Sammy Sausage, EZ-Egg, and Yola Yolk. The book begins with Patty Cake and her best friend, Bonita Bacon, who decide to go to the Butter Bar Restaurant together. As the two are enjoying their time there, other living breakfast foods are introduced and they all have a wonderful time eating and dancing.
There are no hidden meanings or life lessons to be picked up in The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle, but kids can still learn a few things. For example, many of the characters have alliterative names. While there's no mention of what alliteration is in the book, parents can still use these as examples with kids and ask them to come up with some of their own. The book also gives some brief descriptions of some of the characters, explaining that Bonita Bacon is taller than Patty Cake for example, so children can learn about "short" vs "tall". Then there are the food pairs: Patty Cake pairs up with Walter Waffle, Bonita Bacon pairs up with Sammy Sausage, and Terry and Tina Toast are a married couple (who only eats ONE piece of toast?). But most of all, the book fosters creativity. Portia came up with some really unique touches throughout the book, such as Patty Cake's "butter-colored heels" that help her feel taller, and there are some silly song and dance names.
The art in The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle could be better. It's not bad, mind you, but it's a little creepy and certainly not polished. The cover itself is a great example: Patty Cake looks like something out of a horror movie, and Walter Waffle's lines aren't even or complete. He's also missing a sense of depth and looks entirely flat; he looks more like Walter Spreadsheet or Walter Grid Paper. The pages themselves are like a typical Kindle book with images strewn about them. Finally, I found four errors throughout the book, although all four were compound words that should've been one word instead of two ("juke box" three times and "life time" once).
While The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is a cute story, it could've used some work. I prefer children's stories that have prompts and/or lessons tied into them, but there's nothing of that sort to be found here. Instead, parents are forced to bring any educational value to the book themselves. A page or two at the end with discussion questions like "which breakfast character is your favorite?" or "if you had to name another food item character, what would it be?" would've given this book another full star as far as I'm concerned. With that said, my rating of The Adventures of Patty Cake and Walter Waffle is 2 out of 4 stars. Fellow breakfast lovers and alliteration allies may still enjoy the book, but keep in mind that you'll want to read the book yourself first so you can come up with some questions and educational moments for your kids ahead of time.
******
Patty Cake and Walter Waffle
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
.