Everything on a Waffle

Today marks International Waffle Day, a holiday that originated in Sweden. Waffles have a long, glorious history. In Colonial times President Thomas Jefferson brought a long-handled waffle iron from France to the U.S. In 1869 Cornelius Swarthout, a man with a great Dutch name, patented the first U.S. waffle iron. Believe it or not, there is actually a controversy in America about when we should celebrate Waffle Day. Some claim that August 24 would be appropriate, because of the patent. But for the purposes of the Almanac, I’ve chosen the International Holiday—and you can celebrate in August as well if you are so inclined.

I experienced no controversy in selecting the book of the day, Polly Horvath’s quirky and funny Everything on a Waffle, a Newbery Honor Book. Living in Coal Harbour, British Columbia, Primrose Squarp, an eleven-year-old with hair the color of “carrots in an apricot glaze,” loses both parents when a typhoon blows them out to sea. She always believes them to be simply lost; her neighbors and those at school insist they must be dead and that Primrose must live in reality. But reality is not Primrose’s strong suit—she excels in imagination and whimsy. Eventually, her bachelor uncle Jack moves to Coal Harbour to care for her. He also seems attracted to the possible real estate development of this now sleepy little spot. Even under his care Primrose manages to get into a lot of scrapes in chapters entitled “I Lose a Toe” and “I Lose Another Digit.” For a short time she gets placed with a foster family, but she continues to believe in a happy ending to her plight—when her parents return.

In this Garrison Keillor–like take on small-town life, not only do waffles appear in the title, they also play a major role in the book. Primrose’s favorite café, The Girl on the Red Swing run by the sympathetic Mrs. Bowser, serves everything on a waffle. Lasagna, steak, and fish and chips all come on a waffle. Mrs. Bowser thinks it gives the restaurant class and is something a little extra for the guests. A bit of a foodie, Primrose provides a recipe at the end of each chapter, showing how to make one of the dishes mentioned in the text. She may not become the next Julia Child (she sets a guinea pig on fire in the kitchen) but she has heart and wit and wins readers over. In the end, Primrose’s optimism and dreaming prove to be more realistic than the despair of those around her. Everything on a Waffle makes a great book to read aloud for fourth through sixth graders—although some teachers admit that they must stop reading for a moment because they are laughing so hard.

So happy International Waffle Day. I have already been celebrating, and I hope you do to. And thank you Polly Horvath for your witty and clever book—it is just as satisfying as a stack of waffles, no matter what gets put on them.

Here’s a passage from Everything on a Waffle: