Another lovely story with hidden miniature worlds in the illustrations that children will love.
Pancakes for Findus
The quirky and forgetful Farmer Pettson and his curious talking cat are back. But will Findus get his birthday pancakes? A picture book for ages 5 and up.
-
Description
‘There was once a man called Pettson who had a cat named Findus.
They lived in a little red house with a tool shed, a hen house, a woodshed and a garden. Paddocks lay all around, and beyond them was the forest.’
This is the second story from Gecko Press about one of Sweden’s most popular characters, the quirky and forgetful Farmer Pettson and his curious talking cat, Findus.When it is Findus’s birthday (which he celebrates three times a year) Farmer Pettson always bakes him a big stack of pancakes. But before he can start, he has to fix a puncture in his bike, find the keys to the shed and distract Anderson’s bull. Only then can he bike to the shop to buy flour for the pancakes.
-
Book Details
Country of Origin Sweden Reader Age 2-5 year, 5-7 year Book Size ISBN
-
Reviews
Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.
You may like
Subscribe to our newsletter/s
Hear from us about new books, guest recommendations, behind-the-scenes and competitions.
Trish Dearborn, Countdown-The School Magazine, Australia, March 2008 –
Findus the cat has three birthdays a year, because it’s more fun that way. Every time Findus has a birthday, farmer Pettson makes him pancakes-which is one of the reasons Pettson’s neighbours think he’s strange. But when Pettson goes to make pancakes this time, he must ride to the shop. But his bike has a puncture, and the puncture kit is locked in the shed. The key to the shed turns out to be at the bottom of the well. And that’s just the start of Pettson and Findus’ troubles. Read Pancakes for Findus by Sven Nordquist to find out how the friends manage to get their flour using, among other things, a spotted curtain and a gramophone. You’ll also find out whether Pettson really puts old trousers in his pancake batter. And while you’re reading, take a close look at the illustrations, because you might spot a few surprises…
Philip Pullman, October 2007 –
I love the Findus books. I came across them when I was in Sweden a couple of years ago, and I think they’re enormously inventive, funny and charming. My grandchildren love them too.
Trevor Agnew, The Source (Magpies), May 2007 –
Heath Robinson would have been enchanted by the intricacy of Pettson’s solution. And yes, Findus does get his birthday pancakes. While Nordqvist’s story is funny in its own right, his illustrations add another dimension of fun, requiring a special reading (and re-reading) to appreciate all their colourful and whimsical detail. Nordqvist is the poet laureate of clutter, so that Pettson’s workshop and kitchen are small masterpieces. The jokes and visual puns within each illustration add to the pleasure.
Wairarapa Times-Age, July 2007 –
Another lovely story with hidden miniature worlds in the illustrations that children will love.
Around the Bookshops, August 2007 –
Like all sensible cats, Findus celebrates his birthday three times a year and on these auspicious occasions, his owner Pettson always makes him a pile of pancakes. However, on this particular day, before he can go to town to buy the flour there are many things to attend to. one thing leads to another and Pettson seems to be headed for a very big mess. Wonderfully detailed illustrations faithfully depict the actions in the text – something that doesn’t always happen. Good humour and the assurance of a happy ending abound in these stories about Findus and Pettson of which there are seven – hopefully more to be translated and published by Gecko Press.
Miles Ford, Age 6, Good Teacher Magazine, Term Three 2007 –
Pancakes for Findus is about a farmer and his talking cat Findus. Findus gets three birthdays a year and the farmer always gives him pancakes. They gave Findus three birthdays because it would be more fun. One birthday he wanted the pancakes to come quicker but really they caused a lot of funny trouble. When he realised it might mean no pancakes he helped the farmer and it has a happy ending for both of them.
I really liked the story because there were funny pictures, and Findus was silly in a funny way. There are lots of little things to see in the pictures like a giant boot in the forest with a tree sticking out of it, and giant mushrooms growing out of a stone. This is one of the best picture books I’ve read lately, and I would recommend it for children aged 6 and up.
Jo Keppel, West Coast Messenger, July 2007 –
Children love the searches of the house and outbuildings that Farmer Petsson and Findus always seem to be making while the charming illustrations of them hunting, from all angles and finding all sorts of things they are not looking for, are compelling for young and older readers alike.
The Napier Courier, July 2007 –
The Pettson and Findus books have sold 4 million copies in 40 countries and been translated into more than 20 languages including Russian, Hindi, Faroese, Basque and Vietnamese. Pancakes for Findus is about the quirky and forgetful Farmer Pettson and his curious talking cat Findus. When it is Findus’ birthday (he celebrates three times a year) Farmer Pettson always bakes him a big pile of pancakes. However this time there are a lot of jobs coming in the way of his biking to the shop for the flour to make the pancakes.
Stephen Clark, Tomorrow’s Schools Today, June 2007 –
It is easy to see why the quirky and forgetful Farmer Pettson is one of Sweden’s most popular characters, along with his curious talking cat Findus.
In this book, it is Findus’s birthday, which he celebrates three times a year and as usual on his birthday, Farmer Pettson plans to make Findus a big stack of pancakes. Making pancakes isn’t as easy as it sounds when Pettson first runs out of flour, then has a puncture in his bicycle and has lost the keys to his shed. Readers will have to read the book though to find out how and why he was making pancakes with his trousers when his neighbour Gustavsson caught him.
Sven Nordqvist spins yet another very funny yarn, with the help of some equally funny big and wonderfully detailed illustrations. I am sure it will prove to be a treasured story book for young readers and a favourite story.