Horn Book (Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)

Waiting for spring can wear on one's patience, but readers may find comfort sharing the burden with Ethan and his (apparently single-parent) father, who go through their daily routines looking forward to warmer days, shorter nights, and running sap in their maple trees. Still, Ethan has quite a wait yet, and as time passes, the illustrations show the stark contrasts of dark skies and long shadows with indoor lights and white snow. And, week after week, Ethan faces Sunday breakfast sans maple syrup, while the nights remain long and the days cold. A loose tooth provides a break in the monotony but ultimately creates yet another thing to wait for. Through muted colors with pops of red and well-considered details, artfully placed illustrations ranging from spot art to double-page spreads capture the relentlessness of winter, the budding of spring, and the easy comfort of this father-and-son relationship. Crisp text supplies just the right pace for the story and clearly explains the sugaring process without disrupting the flow of the narrative. The subtle visual cues that the season is slowly changing become more evident with every page-turn until the sweet and satisfying conclusion.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Set in maple sugaring country, this tale by Schmidt (Pay Attention, Carter Jones) and Stickney (the pen name of Schmidt-s late wife) examines the difficulty of waiting for exciting things when they unfold at the natural world-s pace. Ethan knows what season it is by the breakfast he-s served: -When Ethan had to eat his pancakes with applesauce instead of maple syrup one Sunday morning, he knew it was almost sugaring time.- But it-s still several weeks before the days are warm enough for the sap to run. Illustrations by Karas (Night Job) use soft, wintry colors with grainy textures as Ethan discovers a loose tooth (-Now Ethan had two things to wait for-). He spends his days wiggling his tooth, sledding, and trying -not to think about maple syrup.- When the tooth comes out and the sap runs at last (a spread shows pails hanging on the family-s trees), Ethan and his dad share the work of making syrup, captured in a series of panel illustrations. Schmidt-s story centers on a single-parent household, with a father who pays quiet attention to his son (-How-s that tooth?-), and shows him that waiting is part of life. Ages 4-7. (Jan.)

School Library Journal (Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

PreS-Gr 1 Young Ethan and his faithful teddy try to understand why they must wait for sugaring time to bring maple syrup back to their breakfast table for pancakes, corn bread, and oatmeal. His dad patiently explains the need to wait for warmer temperatures and shorter nights before tapping the trees, but the child repeatedly asks, "How long?" Things get really tough when Ethan also has to wait for a loose tooth to come out. The tooth and sap finally cooperate on the same day. Readers get to see a bit of the syrup process from tree to table. Karas's mixed media illustrations are bold and dynamic. Indoor scenes of Ethan and his dad are warm and cozy, while the cold, crisp outdoor scenes are starkly evocative. VERDICT In addition to promoting the value of patience, Schmidt's story will also be valuable for early study of changing seasons and teaching where food comes from. A fine choice for most collections. Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA