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Wednesday, June 1, 2022

While We Wait, written by Judy Ann Sadler and illustrated by Elodie Duhameau. Owlkids, 2022. $19.95 ages 4 and up

 

"We shake our arms and 
stretch them wide, 

get up and pace 
and look outside, 

then sit and rock and 
knit and rock and 
      sit and 
          knit and 
             wait.


Waiting is very difficult for anyone. For this young boy tasked to sit with his grandma and wait, it is almost impossible. There is nothing left for them to do to be ready. What else can they do? Grandma has a suggestion. The two can sit together and knit. 

Together, they do just that. There are problems with a ball of yarn. It's Grandma to the rescue! A snack, a snooze ... and still they wait. The clock ticktocks, the muscles tire ... and still they wait.  When it gets to be just too much, and the boy feels that he will explode, Gran comes to the rescue again. How about dancing and singing? That works, and then it's back to knitting and sitting. 

"It can't be long, 
it must be time, 
still 
     sit and 
          knit and -
"

FINALLY, his parents return home - and he's invited to have a look at a new baby! Only then do readers discover what the two have been so busy knitting. That hat helped them pass the time, and is much appreciated for a tiny head. No more knitting and waiting! 

Illustrations are expressive, full of emotion, and done with a soft, cozy palette. Repetitive rhythmic phrasing encourages young readers to join in as the waiting becomes almost unbearable. 

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