THE RUNAWAY PANCAKE

It’s always a rollicking adventure when a food item bounds out the door.

As this Dutch import opens, a family comprised of a grandmother, a father, and seven children are getting ready for breakfast. When Dad pours the pancake batter into the sizzling pan, each child vies to get the first one, until the youngest tot whispers, “Can I eat it, dear, kind, clever, sweet, funny, lovely, handsome Dad?” Dad laughs. But when the pancake is flipped, it bounces out the door. “Ha! No one’s going to eat me,” it calls out. “I’m far too fast. Catch me if you can!” Thus begins the chase. As the pancake speeds past a series of animals—among them a rooster, a fox, a badger, and a duck—all dash after the tasty treat. But a clever wild boar gets the last laugh (and the last gulp). Like the classic tale “The Gingerbread Man,” this cumulative story relies on repetition and rhythm, with the boastful titular foodstuff listing all the creatures pursuing it: “Seven hungry children, a rooster and a fox couldn’t eat me—I’m far too fast.” Bright, cheery patterns adorn the indoor scenes; once the chase moves outside, the landscape transforms from autumn crispness to shadowy woods, heightening the drama. A recipe for “deliciously crispy pancakes” is appended. Members of the family vary in skin tone.

Children will gobble this one up and ask for more.