As debut book garners accolades, ‘Waffles’ to return in print

“A Week With Waffles,” an interactive chronicle of a guinea pig’s delightful day-to-day adventures, received two honors in the Reader Views 2022-23 Literary Awards competition.

The book, authored by Pennsylvania College of Technology writer/video producer Tom Speicher and illustrated by Argentinian artist Marina Saumell, is a Gold Medal winner in the preschool/toddler category and was selected for the Best Children’s Picture Book Award.

“I am humbled by the reaction to the book. Waffles was a wonderful pet, and I’m glad that many readers, especially children, have found joy in discovering her world,” Speicher said. “My intent is to have Waffles live on in future books. There are many fun adventures that can be experienced through the eyes of Waffles!”

A second book is already in the works for the fictionalized Waffles, based on a real-life Abyssinian guinea pig who sadly passed last year. And while the beloved pet was not one to rest on her laurels, the laurels are in full bloom.

“Speicher’s writing is descriptive and breezy, and pairs well with Saumell’s bright, colorful illustrations,” Reader Views reviewer Tammy Ruggles wrote. “We get a very clear picture of what Waffles’ life is like, and the questions the author poses invite children to think about their own daily activities, how to plan them, and how they can plan to have fun throughout the week.”

Sponsored by Book by Book Publicity, the picture-book award bestows online distribution of a 20-second teaser video and audio, as well as a feature on the Reader Views Kids homepage and in the Reader Views Newsletter.

“If one word comes to mind while reading this book, besides ‘fun’ of course, it is organization. Waffles is one organized little critter, and she and Tom like it that way,” the reviewer continued. “This book can help little ones grasp the concept of organization and planning, to a degree, without being heavy-handed. It also prompts readers to think ahead about the future, even if it is a week at a time.”

“A Week With Waffles” was published in February 2022 and, in the past few months, has climbed as high as No. 4 on the Amazon charts for Children’s Mouse & Rodent Books – of which there are thousands. It has also been in the top 100,000 of all books sold on Amazon; no insignificant feat, considering that the online retailer has more than 32 million published titles.

“A Week With Waffles” is also sold at the Otto Bookstore in Williamsport. A portion of the proceeds – as well as from sales of the young adult novel, “Bucky Deacon’s Dilemma,” which Speicher co-authored with the late Bill Byham – benefits the Emergency Scholarship Fund at Penn College. (That book is also available from Amazon and at Otto’s on West Fourth Street.)

For more about the college, a national leader in applied technology education, visit email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.