In the story Benny, the woodpecker, smells something delicious and learns that it’s waffles he's craving. The other animals of the forest think he’s crazy. They don’t think that woodpeckers should eat waffles. Benny doesn’t care! He wants what he wants. He devises a plan to get the tasty breakfast treat. Nobody believes he’ll be able to pull it off. But will he?

This was a really cute read and I was rooting Benny on the whole time. We found out there is a “Flat Benny” online that kids can print. Then, they can take Benny to get waffles or some other treat and share the picture with a special hash tag.

I especially liked the ending of this book- clever!

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It's been many years since I celebrated the pitch-perfect humor of Steve Breen's Stick. Although he's done many things over the years, it's only now that I see, once again, that hilarious sense of humor and perfect timing show up in a picture book again - and this time his art style and writing has developed much further.

Benny the woodpecker wants a waffle. He's never had one before, he's not even sure what they are, but they smell oh-so-good and he's willing to do anything to get one. But no matter what clever plans he tries, he just can't get into the diner! Finally, Benny comes up with the most daring, explosive, dramatic plan ever...not to mention the most sneaky!

What I loved about this story was not just the surprise ending but that it was funny all the way through, which will hold the attention of kids who haven't developed enough to wait for a punch line. Breen's illustrations are light and cheerful with perky animals and jokes for adults to enjoy as well.

Verdict: Time to start planning those woodpecker and waffle storytimes!

ISBN: 9780062342577; Published 2016 by Harper; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Cute! ( )

Benny the Woodpecker awakens to the most heavenly smell one morning, following it to the newly opened 'Moe's: Home of the Hot Waffle Breakfast.' But his attempts to get in the door and to get some of those delicious waffles are baffled by the waitress, who continually ejects him from the premises. The other animals are amused by Benny's troubles, and try to convince him that woodpeckers don't eat waffles. Not to be dissuaded, Benny uses a cunning stratagem to fool both his fellow forest dwellers and the humans inside Moe's.

An entertaining tale, one which features an amusing ending - Benny is one clever woodpecker, managing to fool everyone! - Woodpecker Wants a Waffle would make an excellent story-time selection. It's the sort of book that rewards a closer examination. In fact, as someone who always scans the colophon for any information about the medium used in a picture-book's illustrations, I was amused to see a little joke contained in that short description. Recommended to anyone looking for engaging picture-books featuring funny stories, as well as to any waffle lovers out there! ( )