If waffles were like boys

Harper (Cupcake) offers a series of offbeat similes about the nature of boys. "If waffles were like boys... breakfast would be a BATTLEFIELD! If socks were like boys... laundry baskets would be PIRATE SHIPS!" Matching the whimsy of the comparisons, Magoon's illustrations create simple, inventive interpretations-one waffle employs a cereal-spoon catapult to attack a toast fortress, while a laundry basket becomes a frigate for sock puppet pirates. The collection mainly focuses on boys' more boisterous tendencies, and both collaborators work in some sly references throughout. Given kids' predilection for playing with their food, it only makes sense that "If peas were like boys... dinner plates would be PLAYGROUNDS!" And Harper riffs on hot dogs (alluding at once to food, animals, and showing off) to create a rodeo scene in which Magoon (Mostly Monsterly) has a hot dog cowboy riding a bottle of horseradish sauce in a clever visual pun. While not every boy is as rambunctious as those pictured, plenty are, and the rest will appreciate the book's leaps in imagination. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-A short, lightly humorous bedtime story. The text follows an unnamed youngster throughout his day, comparing boys' personalities to, well, waffles, among other things. "If waffles were like boys, breakfast would be a battlefield!"; "If hot dogs were like boys, picnics would be rodeos!"; "If toothbrushes were like boys, bathrooms would be jungles..Good night, boys." The cartoon illustrations carry the story; they are colorful and whimsical. Moms of rambunctious boys will probably relate to the protagonist's energy level. However, this book still qualifies as a secondary purchase.-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.