Fans pick 96 books like Pancakes, Pancakes!

By Eric Carle,

Here are 96 books that Pancakes, Pancakes! fans have personally recommended if you like Pancakes, Pancakes!. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Growing Vegetable Soup

Kari Percival Author Of How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

From my list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden.

Why am I passionate about this?

When offered a plot at the community garden, I thought it would be fun to invite other families to learn to grow food together. As a science teacher, I knew that for toddlers, digging in the dirt and growing plants for food could plant seeds for a life-long love of exploring nature, hands-on science inquiry, environmental stewardship, and joy in healthy eating. As we gardened, I noticed what questions children and their parents had, and how we found the answers together. I wrote the picture book How to Say Hello to A Worm: A First Guide to Outside to inspire more kids and their parents to get their hands dirty. 

Kari's book list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden

Kari Percival Why did Kari love this book?

What is the point of gardening? Why all this digging around in the dirt? Lois Ehlert's Growing Vegetable Soup brings us through the steps and meaning of growing food, right up to the point: the empowering and delicious pay-off moment of making soup and eating it. But check out all her books on the theme. Ehlert's bright colors and shapes make an irresistible read, perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. 

By Lois Ehlert,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Growing Vegetable Soup as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A book for the very young child which tells the story of a father and child who plant seeds in the garden. The book shows how the tiny plants grow and are cared for, and finally how the fully-grown vegetables are gathered up and taken into the kitchen to be prepared for soup.


Book cover of What Will Grow?

Kari Percival Author Of How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

From my list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden.

Why am I passionate about this?

When offered a plot at the community garden, I thought it would be fun to invite other families to learn to grow food together. As a science teacher, I knew that for toddlers, digging in the dirt and growing plants for food could plant seeds for a life-long love of exploring nature, hands-on science inquiry, environmental stewardship, and joy in healthy eating. As we gardened, I noticed what questions children and their parents had, and how we found the answers together. I wrote the picture book How to Say Hello to A Worm: A First Guide to Outside to inspire more kids and their parents to get their hands dirty. 

Kari's book list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden

Kari Percival Why did Kari love this book?

What Will Grow? makes a game out of observing and guessing the identities of seeds and sprouting plants: preschoolers get to guess based on observing picture clues and hearing rhyming riddles before lifting the flaps to reveal each answer. This book builds connections between the stage of garden plants' development and also provides practice in building science skills. 

By Jennifer Ward, Susie Ghahremani (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Will Grow? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

* "An enchanting vision." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the team behind the gorgeous What Will Hatch? comes a companion book all about seeds and the plants that grow from them--and featuring four pull-out gatefolds.

Seeds can be big or small, round or pointy, and all sorts of colors. They can become flowers, trees, fruits, or vegetables, and they sprout all times of year, during spring, summer, fall, and winter.

But all seeds have one thing in common--inside each is a new plant life waiting to emerge. What kind of plant will bloom? Wait and see what will grow!

Including…


Book cover of Secrets of the Vegetable Garden

Kari Percival Author Of How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

From my list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden.

Why am I passionate about this?

When offered a plot at the community garden, I thought it would be fun to invite other families to learn to grow food together. As a science teacher, I knew that for toddlers, digging in the dirt and growing plants for food could plant seeds for a life-long love of exploring nature, hands-on science inquiry, environmental stewardship, and joy in healthy eating. As we gardened, I noticed what questions children and their parents had, and how we found the answers together. I wrote the picture book How to Say Hello to A Worm: A First Guide to Outside to inspire more kids and their parents to get their hands dirty. 

Kari's book list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden

Kari Percival Why did Kari love this book?

​When I was very small, planting peas in the garden with my grandfather, I felt like a sorcerer's apprentice being initiated into a realm of magic. Carron Brown's Secrets of the Vegetable Garden brings me back to that age of wonder by setting up mysteries to solve. Holding pages up to the sunlight reveals the answers to mysteries and riddles, and shows us what is secretly happening: potatoes growing under the earth, or seeds forming inside a fruit.

By Carron Brown,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Secrets of the Vegetable Garden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What is hidden in the world around us? For ages 3 and up, the uniquely designed Shine-A-Light series of books uncovers the facts behind a diverse range of places and topics through hidden images that are revealed by light. First, view a full-colour scene and read about what is pictured - but what else is there? Shine a torch behind the page, or hold it up to the light, to reveal what is hidden. Turn the page to read fun facts about the hidden image in black and white. A world of surprises awaits!

Discover the hidden wonders of the…


Book cover of The Talking Vegetables

Kari Percival Author Of How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside

From my list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden.

Why am I passionate about this?

When offered a plot at the community garden, I thought it would be fun to invite other families to learn to grow food together. As a science teacher, I knew that for toddlers, digging in the dirt and growing plants for food could plant seeds for a life-long love of exploring nature, hands-on science inquiry, environmental stewardship, and joy in healthy eating. As we gardened, I noticed what questions children and their parents had, and how we found the answers together. I wrote the picture book How to Say Hello to A Worm: A First Guide to Outside to inspire more kids and their parents to get their hands dirty. 

Kari's book list on for toddlers on why and how to grow a food garden

Kari Percival Why did Kari love this book?

Why garden at all? Isn't it a lot of work? I can always count on The Talking Vegetables, a retelling of a traditional African story, to delight toddlers and preschoolers. They revel in Spider's laziness as he shirks helping neighbors grow food at the community garden, and are just as delighted when he gets his comeuppance as the insulted vegetables refuse to let him get away without contributing to the team effort.

By Won-Ldy Paye, Margaret H. Lippert, Julie Paschkis (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Talking Vegetables as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A wonderful folktale from the award-winning authors of Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile The villagers are planting a garden, but Spider refuses to help. He has plenty of rice to eat, so why should he do all that hard work? Then one day Spider gets tired of plain rice and decides to pick some of the delicious produce. Imagine his surprise when the vegetables start talking!
The talented team that created the award-winning titles Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile and Head, Body, Legs join together once again for a laugh-out-loud funny Liberian story. The Talking Vegetables is a…


Book cover of American Cookery

Melanie Kirkpatrick Author Of Thanksgiving: The Holiday at the Heart of the American Experience

From my list on making your Thanksgiving more meaningful.

Why am I passionate about this?

My idea for a book about Thanksgiving was born in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. I was in downtown Manhattan that awful morning on my way to my office at the Wall Street Journal, directly across from the World Trade Center. I stood on the street and watched the towers fall. Two months later, as Thanksgiving approached, I found myself reading William Bradford’s first-person account of the First Thanksgiving. I wanted to learn more about this little kernel of history and how it grew into a cherished national holiday. I wrote several articles for the Journal about the holiday. Writing a book was the logical next step. 

Melanie's book list on making your Thanksgiving more meaningful

Melanie Kirkpatrick Why did Melanie love this book?

To understand the derivation of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner, look no further than American Cookery, the first cookbook written by an American to be published in the United States. The word “Thanksgiving” doesn’t appear in American Cookery, which came out in 1796.  But recipes for the familiar holiday meal are all here: roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, cornbread, and potatoes—and, of course, mince pie and pumpkin pie. American Cookery was the first time that most of these recipes appeared in print. So, too, Simmons was the first culinary writer to focus on New World foods, that is, ingredients that would be easily available to most American cooks. It's no surprise that American Cookery is on the Library of Congress’s list of “Books That Shaped America.”

By Amelia Simmons,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked American Cookery as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Amelia Simmons worked as a domestic in Colonial America and gathered her cookery expertise from firsthand experience. Her book points out the best ways of judging the quality of meats, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc., and presents the best methods of preparing and cooking them. In choosing fish, poultry, and other meats, the author wisely advises, "their smell denotes their goodness." Her sound suggestions for choosing the freshest and most tender onions, potatoes, parsnips, carrots, asparagus, lettuce, cabbage, beans, and other vegetables are as timely today as they were nearly 200 years ago. Here are the first uniquely American recipes using…


Book cover of The Crêpes of Wrath

Jody Holford Author Of Home Is Where the Body Is

From my list on making your inner sleuth swoon.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a romance, romantic comedy, and cozy mystery writer, I not only have a passion for the swoon-worthy moments when I’m creating them but crave them as a reader. There are so many great books out there but chemistry, particularly between a main character and her love interest, is what really makes me want more of a series. It’s not always easy to create that sigh-worthy-make-you-smile element of romance and love in a book that is geared toward solving a murder so I really appreciate when it’s done well. It’s not only enjoyable for me as a reader but a great example for me as a writer. 

Jody's book list on making your inner sleuth swoon

Jody Holford Why did Jody love this book?

In this first of the Pancake House series, we meet Marley, who comes to town to help out with her cousin’s restaurant. Immediately, Fox draws us in with relatable characters, a charming town, and that wonderful blend of new and old. For Marley, this isn’t her hometown so she has an outsider’s perspective but it is a place she spent many summers so she also has those memories that make the place more meaningful. The love interest is Brett, who she knows from those long ago summer days and as fun as the sleuthing is, the connection between these two kept me coming back for more. 

By Sarah Fox,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Crêpes of Wrath as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • In the debut of a delightful cozy mystery series, Sarah Fox introduces a charming new heroine who finds herself in a sticky situation: stacking pancakes, pouring coffee, and investigating murder.

Bonus content: includes original recipes inspired by the Flip Side Pancake House menu!

When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it—and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely…


Book cover of Short & Sweet

Natasha Wing Author Of Bagel in Love

From my list on talking food books.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love a good pun and have written a joke book all about food called Lettuce Laugh. I think food is relatable to kids and they can put themselves in the food’s shoes and learn about friendship and being true to themselves through talking food characters. Humor plays a big part in the books I recommended, but it’s a great way to deliver a lasting message. Another book I wrote is also about food - Jalapeño Bagels, but unlike Bagel In Love, these bagels don’t talk! I love Bagel In Love so much I had a dress made with some of the characters embroidered on it.

Natasha's book list on talking food books

Natasha Wing Why did Natasha love this book?

Written in rhyme, this story is about a pancake and French toast that are going stale. They look for a way to refresh themselves and instead turn into baby versions. Josh Funk has set up a funny foodie world. Check out the first book, too, Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast. If you like these food puns, you’ll love the puns in Bagel In Love!

By Josh Funk, Brendan Kearney,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Short & Sweet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Age range 3+

Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast worry that they're going stale, so they visit Professor Biscotti's lab to try a new despoiling procedure. But instead of beautifying them, Professor Biscotti's faulty gadget transforms them into toddlers!

Scared in the presence of the now gargantuan-looking Baron von Waffle, the mini breakfast foods take off on an adventure in the fridge, visiting everywhere from the Bran Canyon to Limes Square.

Will Baron von Waffle and Professor Biscotti figure out a way to turn them back into a grown Lady and Sir, or will they stay short & sweet forever?



Book cover of Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin

Amy Watson Author Of Closer to Okay

From my list on using food as a catalyst to a better life.

Why am I passionate about this?

I used to write a food blog because I love stories about food, be they fiction or non-fiction. Food has the power to bring joy, healing, love, anger, sadness, etc.—you name the emotion and food can evoke it or remedy it. I’ve suffered from depression most of my life and the kitchen makes me feel better. Hearing that my chocolate cookies are amazing heals my heart a little at a time. Food and emotion go together like peanut butter and jelly, and I’m the first to pick up a book that skillfully employs both.

Amy's book list on using food as a catalyst to a better life

Amy Watson Why did Amy love this book?

Speaking of weird…Kenny Shopsin is a force. If you haven’t seen it, there’s a documentary about his New York restaurant called “I Like Killing Flies” and it is like no other restaurant to ever exist. Shopsin breaks every restaurant rule that ever was. He makes “crepes” using flour tortillas. His specialty is a dish called “Blisters on my Sisters.” He’s hilarious, quintessentially New York, and absolutely bonkers. It’s one of my life’s regrets that I never got to eat at Shopsins. This book is the closest I can ever get.

P.S. The best part of the book is the absolutely priceless copy of the Shopsins menu which could take a week to read and a lifetime to digest. You could cook a different item from it every meal for five years and still not make it all the way through. 

Oh, and did I mention that his kitchen was approximately…

By Kenny Shopsin, Carolynn Carreno,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Eat Me as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Pancakes are a luxury, like smoking marijuana or having sex. That’s why I came up with the names Ho Cakes and Slutty Cakes. These are extra decadent, but in a way, every pancake is a Ho Cake.” Thus speaks Kenny Shopsin, legendary (and legendarily eccentric, ill-tempered, and lovable) chef and owner of the Greenwich Village restaurant (and institution), Shopsin’s, which has been in existence since 1971.

Kenny has finally put together his 900-plus-item menu and his unique philosophy—imagine Elizabeth David crossed with Richard Pryor—to create Eat Me, the most profound and profane cookbook you’ll ever read. His rants—on everything from…


Book cover of Mama Panya's Pancakes

Christine Ieronimo Author Of A Thirst for Home: A Story of Water across the World

From my list on stories from Africa with strong protagonists.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am passionate about writing books for children that create windows to the world, teaching empathy. Children that are empathic grow up to be kind and compassionate adults. I write because I long for a world that is more accepting and compassionate.  

Christine's book list on stories from Africa with strong protagonists

Christine Ieronimo Why did Christine love this book?

Mama Panya goes to the market to buy ingredients for pancakes. On the way home, Adika, Mama Panya’s son invites everyone he sees for dinner. Mama is worried that she won’t have enough food but when the guests show up, they have all brought something and she is able to make a meal that is plentiful. This was one of my favorite stories to read with my children when they were younger. It is a story that teaches children the importance of friendship and opening your heart to others. It teaches that we are all connected and that coming together will always bring us so many gifts.

By Mary Chamberlin, Rich Chamberlin, Julia Cairns (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Mama Panya's Pancakes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

On market day, Mama Panya's son Adika invites everyone he sees to a pancake dinner. How will Mama Panya ever feed them all? This clever and heartwarming story about Kenyan village life teaches the importance of sharing, even when you have little to give


Book cover of The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake

Wes Blake Author Of Pineville Trace

From my list on how it feels to be an outsider.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always loved books about outsiders and stories that make you palpably feel what others do. In real life and fiction, the characters that interest me most are often outsiders. Because characters on the outside of social groups and norms are often isolated and lonely, there is something so powerful about works that can bring you inside their experience and relate what their inner life is like. Interiority is the great strength of literature, and stories that convey the inner architecture of outsiders have always attracted me. I love books that make me feel deeply connected and that linger in my subconscious long after I’ve read them. 

Wes' book list on how it feels to be an outsider

Wes Blake Why did Wes love this book?

The characters and stories in this book carved out a permanent place in my inner life. It took me a long time to read the book because I wanted to savor each sentence. I have rarely found a book that combined such an emotional impact, compulsive readability, and such striking, polished sentences.

Every story has the raw, ringing truth of felt experience, and this experience worked its way into my consciousness like a dream or memory. There is a universal quality of aloneness and separateness among all of Pancake’s characters. The Appalachian settings in this book are as symbolic, arresting, and affecting as the characters. Character and setting are inseparable, both bearing an emotional weight and haunting quality that is rarely found in even the best literature. There is no other book like this. 

By Breece D'J Pancake,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Stories of Breece D'J Pancake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A collection of short stories that memorably capture American life in rural Appalachia by Breece D'J Pancake, the brilliant writer praised by Joyce Carol Oates as "a young writer of such extraordinary gifts that one is tempted to compare his debut to Hemingway's." 

Breece D'J Pancake cut short a promising career when he took his own life at the age twenty-six. Published posthumously, this is a collection of stories that depict the world of Pancake's native rural West Virginia with astonishing power and grace. 

"Breece D'J Pancake's is an exceptional voice: gritty, mordant, invested with the texture of stroked reality,…


Book cover of Growing Vegetable Soup
Book cover of What Will Grow?
Book cover of Secrets of the Vegetable Garden

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