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Today seemed like the perfect time to talk about this enduring classic -- it's Banned Books Week, and, equally important, this story ends with a huge helping of pancakes!

I've loved Little Black Sambo since childhood and was not fully aware of all the details regarding its controversial history until recently. It's been continuously in print since 1899, ever since the copyright was sold outright to a London publisher for a mere five pounds. Subsequently, the author lost all control over the more than 50 pirated editions distributed in ensuing decades. Many of these contained offensive illustrations perpetuating racial stereotypes -- pictures not created by Scotswoman Helen Bannerman herself.

   
                         
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean that Bannerman's own illustrations were not disputed. Innocently enough, she wrote the story for her two daughters while living in India, and never really intended to publish it until a friend encouraged her to do so. Bannerman mixed fanciful elements -- one of the first black heroes in children's literature encountering and outsmarting ferocious tigers in India, with a meal at the end featuring European pancakes.

         

Ah, the wonder of pancakes!!

Does any other breakfast treat arouse as much unabashed joy and anticipation among diners of all ages? Whether you call them hotcakes, griddle cakes, flapjacks, flatcars, or heavenly hots, the reaction is the same. Almost every culture in the world has its own version of the pancake (crepes, blinis, galettes), and they're all special. They're also pretty ancient, dating back to Roman times.

As far as children's books, pancakes outnumber bagels, pies, and cookies. They are the perfect example of how a beloved food establishes instant reader interest and connection, reinforced by the power of sensual description.

 

The first pancake stories, which have a long history and dubious European origin, fall into the Aarne-Thompson 2025 folktale classification of fleeing food. Earliest recorded versions, such as "The Runaway Pancake," date back to 19th century Germany and Norway. During this same period, the gingerbread man stories became popular in America. I suppose, then, we could rightly call pancakes the first "fast food."

But I won't let them get away from you today. Here are some of my favorite pancake picture books, hot off the griddle, and guaranteed to make your kiddos, ages 4-8, flip!

1. Pancakes for Breakfast , by Tomie dePaola (Harcourt, 1978). This wordless classic never loses its charm. A woman who lives alone with her cat and dog wakes up one winter morning craving pancakes, but must gather the ingredients. She fetches eggs from the hen house, milks the cow, churns some butter, then goes out to buy some maple syrup. Upon returning, she discovers that her pets have eaten everything. No matter, the irresistible aroma of pancakes which drifts into her little house brings about a happy ending. A masterpiece of anticipation with stacks of drool-worthy pancakes.

   

2. Curious George Makes Pancakes, based on the character created by Margret and H.A. Rey (Houghton Mifflin, 1998). Our curious monkey friend attends a charity pancake breakfast with the man in the yellow hat. While the man is off buying tickets, George's nose leads him to a long griddle dotted with fresh pancakes. Unnoticed, he decides to help by sprinkling blueberries on them. George's pancakes are a big hit, but when the cook sees him, he chases George away. The illos are adorable throughout, showing maple-syruped George getting stuck to everything, and wildly making and flipping pancakes with four limbs. With charcoal pencil and watercolor illos.

    

3. Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle (Simon & Schuster, 1990). Jack craves a big pancake for breakfast, and learns how to make it from scratch. From cutting and threshing wheat, grinding it into flour, to gathering eggs, milking the cow, churning butter, and fetching strawberry jam - to the actual process of combining the ingredients with his mother, young readers will certainly gain new appreciation for a food they probably take for granted in this microwave/toaster age. Carle's bright collages remain unique and fresh.

              

4. Hey, Pancakes! by Tamson Weston, pictures by Stephen Gammell (Harcourt, 2003). If you like your pancakes rhyming, rollicking, and rambunctious, this is the book for you. Three kids and their dog make a royal mess as they stir up some boisterous batter. Pancakes flip and fly through pages full of splatters and splots. Kids will no doubt love the short, catchy rhyme and beg you to make the recipe for Grandma's Pancakes included in the book. Gammell's mixed media illos create the perfect high pitched frenzy that celebrates the pure, unadulterated joy of pancakes.

     

5. Mama Panya's Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya, by Mary and Rich Chamberlin, pictures by Julia Cairns (Barefoot Books, 2005). On the way to market, Adika and his mother meet many friends who live in various parts of their rural village. Happily anticipating a pancake supper that evening, Adika simply can't resist inviting everyone to share their meal. Mama Panya is worried that she won't be able to feed so many people, but Adika keeps telling her that she has "a little bit, and a little bit more," and that will be enough. This handsome book contains a list of Kiswahili greetings, map of Kenya, glossary of the plants and animals Adika and his mother encounter on their journey, info about village life in Kenya, and of course, Mama Panya's recipe for spicy pancakes. Julia Cairns' beautiful and engaging watercolor illos enrich this story about the rewards of giving what little you have.

                         I've flipped for you!
                                                         
 

Here are some yummy pancake recipes to top off your weekend:

Oatmeal-Apple (Dairy and Gluten free)

Best Buttermilk (Melt-in-your-mouth fluffy and light)

Stardust Chocolate (Good writing prompt)!

Bon Appetit!!

"Nothing helps scenery like ham and eggs." ~ Mark Twain



Who me? Talk about politics?

I'd rather eat liver.

But there's no escaping it. I tried to buy some bacon the other day, and the checkout girl asked if I had foreign policy experience. Okay, not really, but I've inhaled so much political hot air that sometimes I feel like I'm going to explode.

Oinkety oink oink!

What a tough campaign -- people are apt to say anything just to get elected. Spin on top of spin can make a body ravenous for some meaningful sustenance. That's why today I'm serving up some ham ham ham.

Whether you like your eggs on the left or right side of your plate, or are desperately trying to find a good spot in the middle, it's wise to chew slowly, so you don't choke on all the rhetoric.

Just remember: if all else fails, vote for Porky!

EXQUISITE CANDIDATE
by Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton



I can promise you this: food in the White House
will change! No more granola, only fried eggs
flipped the way we like them. And ham ham ham!
Americans need ham! Nothing airy like debate for me!
Pigs will become the new symbol of glee,
displacing smiley faces and "Have a Nice Day."

(Rest is here.)

The lovely Tricia, of The Miss Rumphius Effect, is our Poetry Friday hostess today. I wonder if she has any mustard to go with all this ham?

If you'd like to see what the next president of the United States recently had for breakfast, watch this. He's been my choice from the beginning, and I sincerely hope you vote for him, too. Bring on the debates!

                            
                                        from PUNCH, 1892

No, but I wish I did!

What a lovely thought, having warm, freshly baked muffins delivered to your front door! Back in the 19th century, the muffin man wandered the streets of England around teatime, ringing his bell and tempting everyone with his offerings.

But the muffins he peddled were not like the "American" muffins we are familiar with today. They were actually flat round cakes made from yeast dough. There's always been a bit of confusion concerning muffins, crumpets, English muffins, and pikelets. Today, a muffin in England is more like a light textured roll, round and flat, and if you went to the grocers in search of "English muffins," you wouldn't find any. I was surprised to discover this when I lived there in the late 70's.

But to me, it's all good. Mere mention of a "muffin" and you've got my full attention.

I've already shared my favorite recipes for blueberry and pumpkin muffins on this blog. So today, I'm serving up some cranberry orange, which are perfect for fall and the upcoming holiday season. Len and I love these for Christmas breakfast, too. The recipe actually calls for the big Texas-size muffin tins, but I've made them using standard size tins. Love 'em!

CRANBERRY ORANGE MUFFINS
(yield: one dozen regular, 6 Texas size)



1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp freshly grated orange peel
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup orange juice
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease muffin tin or use paper baking cups.

Mix cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar and orange peel; set aside.

In large bowl, combine all dry ingredients except nuts. In a separate bowl, mix oil, juice and eggs. Pour all at once into dry ingredients and stir only until moistened. Add cranberries and nuts. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing.

      

SPECIAL TREATS: 

Click here to view Amy Winfrey's animated muffin films. She did them for her MFA thesis at the UCLA Animation Workshop, and they're way cool. Just click on the paper muffin cups for 12 different vignettes. Be sure to see the Muffinale! So adorable!

For some muffinalia ala Good Eats' Alton Brown, click here.

For the kiddos: Daniel Pinkwater indulges his penchant for muffins in the Irving and Muktuk series, and in The Muffin Fiend (Skylark, 1987), where Wolfgang Mozart discovers who's stealing all the muffins in Vienna. Perfect for off-the-wall dining.

And don't forget the classic, If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff (HarperTrophy, 1994).
 

"I've long said that if I were about to be executed and were given a choice of my last meal, it would be bacon and eggs . . . Nothing is quite as intoxicating as the smell of bacon frying in the morning."  ~ James Beard



(Vegetarians, look away.)

I'm definitely not a morning person, but for bacon I'll get up.

One whiff of those divine pieces of pork belly sizzling in a pan, and I'm floating downstairs, dreaming of cozy Sunday mornings and finding my way back home.

Bacon ranks right up there with chocolate as a top-ranking guilty pleasure. We know we shouldn't have any, but find it impossible to resist. Just one piece, maybe two. Absolutely scrumptious biting into it, eyes rolling back in the head, and then a sense of "man, am I going to pay for this," afterwards.

But hoo boy, this brand of ecstasy is worth it.

Despite warnings about saturated fat and nitrates, bacon is selling better than ever in the U.S. About 2 billion pounds of it is produced each year, 70% of it consumed at breakfast. Over 50% of American households claim to have bacon on hand at all times. Like Emeril always says, pork fat!! You simply can't beat it for flavor; even a little bit added to a recipe yields a big payoff.

It seems bacon has always been held in high esteem. Back in 12th century England, a church in the town of Dunmow awarded a side of bacon to any man who could swear he hadn't quarreled with his wife in a year and a day. He was greatly admired for his forbearance, and henceforth was known as one who could "bring home the bacon."

These days, women bring home the whole pig. With or without lipstick.

And right now, this woman is going to share her favorite method of cooking bacon.

Much as I love the crack, pop and sizzle, I hate cleaning greasy frying pans and spattered stove tops. Broiled bacon is equally messy, and I don't like heating up the whole oven just to bake a few strips.

No, here in the alphabet soup kitchen, we use the microwave. In the past, I used a special ridged microwave plate specially made for cooking bacon. But who wants to wash that thing? The older you get, the more your life is about convenience.

So here, for the first time ever, my favorite method, aka,

BROWN PAPER BAGS ARE YOUR FRIEND

Step 1: Blindfold any pigs who live at your house. Refrain from calling anyone "Babe."

   

Step 2: Fold two grocery bags in half crosswise, then slide one inside the other. Place two paper towels on top, then position bacon slices. Place another towel over the bacon to prevent spattering.

 

Step 3: Microwave on high, about 1 minute for each slice being cooked. (Cooking time varies depending on how crisp you like your bacon. It's wise to test after 2-3 minutes.)

   
      After 3-1/2 minutes (I like my bacon chewy.)

Step 4: Devour the bacon, then throw the greasy bags away. No dishes to wash, no spatters to clean up. Brown bags also absorb grease better than paper plates.

OINK!

If you find yourself stealing your kids' bacon, ease your guilt by reading them this book:


 picture book for ages 4-8 (Harper, 1989), 32 pp.

If you simply can't stop oinking, test your bacon and belly fat IQ here.

  

One slice or two?

I love you, toast, I do.

Forgive my dalliance with chewy English muffins and poppy seed bagels. My fascination with showy waffles. My unabashed drooling over muffins and pancakes and other batter beauties. When all is said and done, when a person is weary of gimmick and falderal, there is only you, my toast -- simple, basic, and totally unassuming.

    

Why did I ever think anything could replace this bastion of breakfast? There are some (gasp!) who find toast boring and unresponsive. I dare say they have lost touch with their inner crumb.

When I was little, my older brother and I sometimes ventured to Grandma Kim's house for breakfast. Both our parents worked, so we were left to our own devices much of the time. We'd arrive on her doorstep unannounced, and didn't have to say a word. One look at us and she knew exactly what we wanted.

First, half a slice of sweet, cold, homegrown papaya. Next, two almost hard boiled eggs, not too runny in the middle. And then, the best part --a perfectly toasted slice of white bread, generously buttered all the way to the edges, with a coating of fresh guava jelly. Her signature presentation? The toast folded precisely in half, perfect for small hands and eager mouths. Biting into that combination of warm, chewy bread, butter and jelly, told us we were safe, loved, and always welcome.


Toast is the stuff dreams are made of.

Now, I'm not the only one who worships at the shrine of toast. Do you know Mercy Watson? Yes, she's a pig, but no ordinary porker. She's the porcine wonder who stars in her own series of early readers. I absolutely. Love. This. Series. I mean, we're talking Kate DiCamillo here. With illos by Chris Van Dusen.

Mercy lives with Mr. and Mrs. Watson, who are all retro-50's smiley and kind. They love and indulge her, and everything she does delights them. Her weakness? Hot buttered toast. Stacks and stacks of it. Her pursuit of and acute awareness of HBT makes for some rollicking good stories. So far, in Books 1-4, she's "rescued" the Watsons from a falling bed, hijacked a pink cadillac, foiled an intruder, and dressed up as a princess for Halloween.

      
       published by Candlewick (2008)
        for ages 4-8, 80 pp.

The latest installment, Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig, finds her in trouble for eating the neighbors' newly planted pansies. She manages to escape Animal Control, and as in the other books, there is a big feast of HBT at the end for all concerned. Chris Van Dusen's cartoony illustrations jack up the humor several notches with manic energy and hilarious facial expressions. If you can read one of these books and NOT crave HBT, there is something seriously wrong with you. Really.

I've just finished a slice of white toast with butter and guava jelly, and I miss Grandma Kim. I loved the sound of the toast popping up and the knife scraping the toast as she buttered it. Such is the power of simple food, lovingly prepared.

How do you like your toast?

           

More Toast Love:

Visit the Cyber Toaster Museum.

What about a toast-it note instead of a post-it?

Make some Bite Me/I'm Hot Toast!

Australian art on toast.

Uber cool musical toast.

And then there's always this:


Butter me up!

   

Okay, friends. It's muffin time!

Today, we're featuring a zero-calorie breakfast that's sure to get those creative juices flowing. It's also very easy on the eyes -- a dozen freshly baked literary stud muffins!

Since we run an equal opportunity bakery here, we've actually got six muffins and six muffinettes. Each was featured in a film or TV series based on a well-known book (or play), and all of them totally blew me away with their consummate acting, drop-dead gorgeous looks, charisma, and enormous staying power.

After you've feasted on this achingly sweet breakfast, please vote for one stud muffin and one stud muffinette. Write-in votes are accepted if your fave is not listed here. Enjoy!


Les Muffins (made my toes curl):


Gregory Peck, To Kill a Mockingbird



Robert Redford, The Great Gatsby



Joe Fiennes, Shakespeare in Love (Lord have mercy)



Toby Stephens, Jane Eyre



Johnny Depp, Chocolat



Colin Firth, Pride and Prejudice



Les Muffinettes (I want to be them):


Keira Knightley, Pride and Prejudice



Vivian Leigh, Gone With the Wind



Elizabeth Taylor, National Velvet



Gwyneth Paltrow, Shakespeare in Love



Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mask of Zorro



Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany's


Olivia Hussey, Romeo and Juliet

*Fans self*

I'm really anxious to see who you pick!