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The Runaway Pancake
A charming and evocative tale about a pancake's escapades at home, in the barnyard, and on the road, brought to life with warmly crafted illustrations
26 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1844
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About the author
Peter Christen Asbjørnsen
443 books94 followersPeter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe".
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 30, 2023
A pancake jumps out of the pan and rolls away in order to escape being eaten in this traditional Norwegian tale, collected by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe—the Brothers Grimm of Norway. Encountering any number of creatures along the way, each of which wish him to stop and allow them to eat him, the pancake trundles on, until it meets a very clever pig...
The tale type in which a runaway pastry eludes many would-be pursuers, only to fall victim to a clever foe in the end, is quite widespread. In Russia and other Slavic countries there is the story of Kolobok, a little bun that runs aways from its creators, and is eventually eaten by a fox. Retold by Marcia Brown in her The Bun: A Tale from Russia , the story can also be found in Irina Zheleznova's Ukrainian Folk Tales , where it is known as The Little Round Bun. A German variant can be found in Carl and Theodor Colshorn's Märchen und Sagen aus Hannover , while the Euro-American version from New England, perhaps best known to American children, is The Gingerbread Man .
In any case, this Norwegian variant, originally known as Pannekaken, was collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe in their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"). The story is humorous and enjoyable, making good use of it repetitive structure and expanding refrain, both in the growing list of compliments paid to the mother by her hungry children, as she is making the pancake, and by the pancake itself as it refuses each animal's request that he stop and allow himself to be eaten. This presentation of the tale, illustrated by Svend Otto S., who also illustrated Asbjørnsen and Moe's The Man Who Kept House , was originally published in Denmark in 1980. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those familiar with other variants of this tale type.
The tale type in which a runaway pastry eludes many would-be pursuers, only to fall victim to a clever foe in the end, is quite widespread. In Russia and other Slavic countries there is the story of Kolobok, a little bun that runs aways from its creators, and is eventually eaten by a fox. Retold by Marcia Brown in her The Bun: A Tale from Russia , the story can also be found in Irina Zheleznova's Ukrainian Folk Tales , where it is known as The Little Round Bun. A German variant can be found in Carl and Theodor Colshorn's Märchen und Sagen aus Hannover , while the Euro-American version from New England, perhaps best known to American children, is The Gingerbread Man .
In any case, this Norwegian variant, originally known as Pannekaken, was collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe in their 1871 Norske Folke-Eventyr. Ny Samling ("Norwegian Folktales. New Collection"). The story is humorous and enjoyable, making good use of it repetitive structure and expanding refrain, both in the growing list of compliments paid to the mother by her hungry children, as she is making the pancake, and by the pancake itself as it refuses each animal's request that he stop and allow himself to be eaten. This presentation of the tale, illustrated by Svend Otto S., who also illustrated Asbjørnsen and Moe's The Man Who Kept House , was originally published in Denmark in 1980. Recommended to young folklore enthusiasts, particularly those familiar with other variants of this tale type.
January 31, 2019
My six year old said it was a lot like Gingerbread Man. I agree.
February 14, 2013
Remembered this book for 40 years, always looking in thrift stores for it, but with no success. Finally found it online in 2009 & probably cherish it more than any other book I own because it takes me back to those days of innocence & because it took so long for me to find this.
December 20, 2007
One of my favorite books when I was little!
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December 12, 2010Leste for barnebarna
April 19, 2021
Όσο χαζό κ να μου φαίνεται εμένα, ο γιος μου το λατρεύει!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews