FeedIf Waffles Were Like Boys by Charise Mericle Harper
April 9, 2012 in Adjectives, Books with Health Content, Creative Writing activities, Elementary Educators, Harper Chraise Mericle, Making Personal Connections, Picture Book Tags: shared writing activities, silly picture books
*Picture book, (contemporary concept book), for preschool to first graders
*Boys as main characters
*Rating: If Waffles Were Like Boys (illustrator: Scott Magoon) is an interesting book that really captures children and their imagination. It is obviously targeted toward boys, but girls could read it and write their own version!
Short, short summary: If Waffles Were Like Boys, “breakfast would be a battlefield” is how this book begins. This is the text pattern throughout the entire book. If________________ were like boys, ____________________________________________. Another example from the book, “If hot dogs were like boys, picnics would be rodeos!” There are very few words on each page and bright and colorful illustrations.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. This book is perfect for a shared writing activity, such as If _______Were Like Girls, then ____________________________. Or you could even do animals: If _________________-Were Like Dogs, then _______________________________________________. Children can illustrate their own sentence.
2. Let students make predictions on what the author wrote before turning the page. So, after reading a few to get the pattern, state: “If cars were like boys, then __________________________.” Ask students to fill in the blank with some statements that makes sense and see if anyone can guess what the author wrote.
3. The illustrations by Scott Magoon are so cute in this book and clever, too. For example, check out the hot dog and rodeo section. What is making up the rodeo animals in the illustrations? Why? Discuss as many pages as you can. 
April 9th, 2012 at 10:57 pm
Seems like such a basic idea but done well and, as you say, with great images. Has the potential to be a whole series, too!