Book Review: Waffles and Pancakes | By: Committee for Children by Cindy Springsteen. Illustrated by Jim Brenneman Reading Level: Kindergarten–Grade 2 Waffles and Pancakes are not acting like themselves. The two hamster friends have been feeling down ever since they encountered a guinea pig who teased them about their nocturnal, cage-dwelling lifestyle. Once the boys who own them start piecing together what might have happened, they take the hamsters to the house of the boy who owns the guinea pig. There they are bullied by both human and rodent residents. Luckily, the guinea pig owner’s mother steps in to educate her son on appropriate behavior, and Waffles and Pancakes manage to speak up to the guinea pig himself about his behavior: “Bullying someone is never nice,” Waffles says. “Someone’s feelings always get hurt,” Pancakes adds. Author Cindy Springsteen builds on her previous story about the hamster friends (Waffles and Pancakes: A Lesson in Friendship), in which another misunderstanding is happily resolved when boys and hamsters discover that friendship is more important than material possessions. Social and Emotional Lessons in Waffles and Pancakes Although this story is somewhat simplistic, Springsteen’s message is straightforward: People who treat others kindly are more likely to have and keep friends. And, as Waffles says, “Sometimes people who [bully] are looking for attention, or are lonely and sad themselves.” All three boys and their furry friends end up having a better understanding of why people sometimes behave badly and why it’s a good idea to make an effort to work things out. The solutions to both bullying situations in this book worked immediately. This helps young readers understand that people who bully others can—and sometimes do—make other, better choices. However, in many cases, children dealing with bullying will not have such a smooth experience. After reading this book aloud, teachers can discuss with their class what the boys (and the hamsters) might have done if their first efforts at resolving the problem were not successful. What if Tom’s mom had not pulled her son aside to help him see that what he was doing was unfair and was driving away potential friends? What could the boys have done then? And what if the guinea pig was still grumpy and worried about his own health? How might Waffles and Pancakes have dealt with his ongoing mean behavior? Being able to generate, evaluate, and apply multiple solutions is a key factor in successful problem solving, as illustrated in the Second Step program’s Problem-Solving Steps. The class should brainstorm as many alternative solutions as possible, using these steps: Say the problem Think of solutions Explore consequences Pick the best solution