Finding the Flipside

Gabe is ready to give up… like always. But today, he’s in for a big surprise.  

At breakfast, he wants to impress his mom by making mouthwatering pancakes and then flipping them onto her plate. But his flapjack-flipping skills are stale. When he tosses the biggest, fluffiest cake, he completely misses the target. Now, the tastiest-looking pancake is a broken brown blob on the kitchen floor.

It’s a crummy situation and reminds Gabe of every mess and mistake he’s ever made. He thinks he ruins everything, and decides to quit. But as Gabe is about to hand over the family’s special pancake-flipping utensil to his mom, the utensil talks back! And Gabe stops cold.  

Turner is its name, and Turner tells a stunned Gabe he needs to reset his mindset instead of giving up. Turner encourages him to come up with at least one positive thought or idea instead of thinking it’s a hopeless situation. With more reflection, Gabe figures out that maybe he just needs extra practice. He tries another toss, and this time the pancake lands smack in the middle of Mom’s plate!

Gabe’s positive thinking doesn’t last long, however. While doing his homework at the kitchen table, he can’t solve a single math problem and throws his pencil down in a huff. He wants to quit – again. Turner watches Gabe giving up and tells him he needs to relax and flip his thoughts like a pancake so he can see what’s right instead of what’s wrong.

Will “flipping the pancake” in his mind help Gabe break free from all his doom-and-gloom thinking, especially when he finds himself in challenging and difficult circumstances?

Finding the Flipside is a hope-filled, confidence-building story that shows young readers the power of seeing the brighter side of life and turning negative thoughts into positive ones. A special page written specifically for parents, counselors, and educators offers practical tips on helping children be more optimistic, resilient, and confident.

Drive home the lessons from this story by purchasing the accompanying Six Downloadable Activities.

Read all the storybooks in author Jennifer Law's popular Gabe Stories book series that empowers young readers with the skills they need to manage difficult emotions, be more independent, and practice healthy habits. The series also includes:

• Pause Power:  Learning to Stay Calm when your Buttons get Pushed
• Practicing Patience:  How to Wait Patiently when your Body doesn't want to
• Rest to Recharge: A Story about the Importance of Sleep
• Missing the Meaning: Learning what "For No Reason" really means

Published by Boys Town Press
ISBN: 978-0-938510-87-1
Juvenile Fiction
Full Color Illustrations
31 pages
Softcover, 9"x9"
Grades K-5; Ages 5-11
Lexile Measure: 710L