Waiting
Waiting
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Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover ©2015--
Publisher's Hardcover ©2015--
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HarperCollins
Annotation: Five toys that are also friends, an owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig, sit on a windowsill together, waiting for something amazing to happen.
 
Reviews: 7
Catalog Number: #108607
Format: Perma-Bound from Publisher's Hardcover
Publisher: HarperCollins
Copyright Date: 2015
Edition Date: 2015 Release Date: 09/01/15
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: Publisher: 0-06-236843-5 Perma-Bound: 0-605-90336-0
ISBN 13: Publisher: 978-0-06-236843-0 Perma-Bound: 978-0-605-90336-4
Dewey: E
LCCN: 2014030560
Dimensions: 29 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review ALA Booklist (Fri May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Starred Review A pig with an umbrella, a spotted owl, a puppy on a sled, a bear holding a kite, and a rabbit with a long accordion body. These five little toys look out a tall window at nothing much, waiting. Pig waits for rain; Owl, the moon; Bear, the wind; Puppy, the snow; and Rabbit just waits. One day they are joined by a round wobble of a cat. She tumbles over and out come nested cats of decreasing size, who join the friends on the windowsill to wait and watch. Quiet yet evocative, this is a lovely melding of artwork, design, and text. The pictures, executed in a soft palette of brown ink, watercolors, and colored pencils, get a suitable home on buff-colored pages. The thoughtful design begins on the jacket, where the window, its panes accentuated by a shiny gloss, allows the toys to view clouds reflecting altered views of their own images: Pig's umbrella floats through the sky, while the staid owl soars with wings spread. The short sentences of the text flow with the precision one would expect from a master picture-book creator like Henkes. Little ones, to whom each experience is new, will know what it's like to dream and wait. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Caldecott medalist and Newbery Honor Book author Henkes is a favorite among librarians and booksellers (and, of course, children). Any new book will spark demand from his fans.

School Library Journal Starred Review (Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

PreS-K Five toys sit on a windowsill, each waiting for something. There's an owl with spots waiting for the moon, a pig with the umbrella waiting for the rain, a bear with a kite waiting for the wind, and a puppy on a sled waiting for the snow. And then there's a "rabbit with stars," content to simply look out the window. With an economy of words and gently repeating patterns, the text informs readers about the emotional ups and downs of this tiny band of friends: what makes them happy (getting what they've waited for), what makes them sad (when one of them goes away), and what surprises them (gifts, visitors, new friends.) Along with happiness and friendship, there are small moments of grief, anxiety, and existential wonder—all thoughtfully and authentically depicted with childlike honesty and optimism. On thick, creamy pages, Henkes uses brown ink with touches of watercolor and colored pencil in muted shades of pink, green, and blue to depict the softly rounded figures, shown small before the expanse of the four-paned window. Henkes varies the compositions with vignettes and a four-page wordless sequence showing the beautiful (a rainbow, fireworks) and sometimes scary (lightning) sights that the toys observe from the vantage point of their windowsill. The careful placement of the text and images establishes a leisurely pace, encouraging readers and listeners to slow down, examine the pictures, and discuss. Are these sentient little beings or are they moved and posed by an unseen child? Henkes leaves it up to readers to determine. VERDICT Waiting further cements Henkes's place alongside picture book legends like Margaret Wise Brown, Crockett Johnson, and Ruth Krauss, through his lyrical text, uncluttered yet wondrously expressive illustrations, and utmost respect for the emotional life of young children.— Kiera Parrott , School Library Journal

Horn Book

London's family is splintering after the death of her brother. The free-verse novel's poetic structure allows London's powerful emotions to come through unfiltered; her grief and anger are palpable, but so are her glimpses of hope and redemption. Williams has created a complete picture of the effects of suicide on those left behind and of the way love endures after death.

Word Count: 270
Reading Level: 1.9
Interest Level: P-2
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 1.9 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 176259 / grade: Lower Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:1.7 / points:1.0 / quiz:Q66879
Lexile: 440L

What are you waiting for? An owl, a puppy, a bear, a rabbit, and a pig wait for marvelous things to happen in this irresistible and resonant picture book by the New York Times–bestselling and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes.

Five friends sit happily on a windowsill, waiting for something amazing to happen. The owl is waiting for the moon. The pig is waiting for the rain. The bear is waiting for the wind. The puppy is waiting for the snow. And the rabbit is just looking out the window because he likes to wait! What will happen? Will patience win in the end? Or someday will the friends stop waiting and do something unexpected?

Waiting is a big part of childhood—waiting in line, waiting to grow up, waiting for something special to happen—but in this book, a child sets the stage and pulls the strings. Timeless, beautiful, and deeply heartfelt, this picture book about imaginative play, the seasons, friendship, and surprises is a Caldecott Honor and Geisel Honor Book.

Share Waiting alongside Mo Willems's Waiting Is Not Easy at home or in a classroom—these books about waiting for kids will be enjoyed as picture book stories and also allow kids to explore their emotions about that ultimate frustration: waiting.

“The short sentences of the text flow with the precision one would expect from a master picture-book creator like Henkes. Little ones, to whom each experience is new, will know what it’s like to dream and wait.”—ALA Booklist


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