Review - While We Wait

While We Wait
by Judy Ann Sadler
illustrated by Élodie Duhameau
Date: 2022
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

A gentle play on patience while a boy and his grandma knit the perfect gift

A boy and his grandmother are waiting for … something. While they wait, they sit and knit, they stretch, they rock, they dance, they snack, and they talk. But still, time passes slowly.

As the hours go by, they fill the day together. They sit and knit and wait. Until—it’s finally time! The long wait is over when the boy’s parents come home with a special arrival. We see what the boy and his grandma have been creating together: a handmade gift for the newest member of their family, created with love.

With a soft color palette and simple, lyrical text lending a rhythmic beat, While We Wait is a sweet lesson in patience that shows some things are well worth the wait.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I've read plenty of picture books about new siblings, but most seem to focus on the rivalry aspect or on the changes in the household that come with a new addition. This book is a little different in that its focus is entirely on the older brother as he waits with his grandmother while his parents are, we assume, at the hospital.

The text doesn't exactly rhyme, but it's got its own rhythm. That changes in spots, which I wasn't a fan of. Still, I liked the bouncy refrain of "sit and knit and wait" that runs throughout the story.

The illustrations are cute and cartoonish, showing a mixed-race family. The limited colour palette works well here.

Overall, this is a nice picture book focusing on an often-overlooked aspect of the new-baby process for siblings: the waiting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Owlkids Books for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: 3/5
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.57 out of 5