What Are You Waiting For?

April 3, 2017
For a curious badger, a riddle set up by its friend—an early-rising rabbit—proves tantalizing and a little frustrating. Menchin (Goodnight Selfie) writes solely in dialogue: “What are you waiting for?” asks the badger one morning. “Wouldn’t you like to know,” responds the rabbit, scampering away. Clues mount (“So it changes?” “It’s always changing.” “Is it old?” “It’s very old!”), and in a series of quietly lovely moments, Phelan echoes the badger’s questions in the things the animals notice as they make their way through the woods—a subtle window into the way the badger translates its observations into guesses. “Does it have eyes?” it wonders in a field of black-eyed susans, two of which seem to stare out at readers. “Is it scary?” the badger asks as the duo peers into a shadowy cave. The brisk, sketchy quality of Phelan’s (Marilyn’s Monster) pencil and pastel artwork mirrors the zippiness of the animals’ exchanges, and the answer to the riddle, revealed only after the sun has set, makes the case that some things are worth waiting all day for. Ages 2–8. Illustrator’s agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House.

March 15, 2017
As a badger and a rabbit wait for a mysterious something, they enjoy a ramble through their forest home.A badger, waking up early one morning, runs across a rabbit friend who appears to be waiting for something. As the two spend a contented day exploring their forest home, the badger keeps asking the rabbit what they are waiting for. -Does it have eyes?- the badger asks in a field of black-eyed Susans. -Does it have wings?- the badger asks as they gaze at butterflies. In this way the gentle story, with its equally unpretentious pencil-and-pastel illustrations, both intrigues readers with its central mystery and brings their attention to the natural world. The story is told through dialogue without quotation marks or dialogue tags, instead using different-colored type to distinguish the badger's and rabbit's voices. When the something the badger and rabbit are waiting for finally reveals itself--in a spread that requires a 90-degree turn, it is a reflective affirmation of the natural beauty the two have been looking at all day. The book's well-thought-out design combines double-page spreads, spot, and bordered illustrations. The final illustration, very small and surrounded by the toned white space of the page, metaphorically hints at possibilities to be discovered beyond borders. A quiet, thoughtfully designed picture book with a strong message. (Picture book. 3-6)

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May 1, 2017

PreS-Gr 2-A badger wakes to find a rabbit friend already up and waiting patiently... for something. The story, told entirely in dialogue between the two characters, and the day play out in a series of questions and answers as the badger, along with readers and listeners, tries to solve the mystery. ("Is it scary?" "I've seen it be scary." "Is it quiet?" "Very quiet.") On sepia-tone paper, the playful, soft lines and earthy colors of the pencil and pastel art bring the setting and the two characters to life. Shown from a variety of perspectives in spot art and full-page spreads, the rabbit and badger explore the natural world around them as they wait, and their observations prompt the badger's questions. When they examine a butterfly, the badger wonders if they are waiting for something with wings; a many-ringed tree trunk suggests that they are awaiting something old. When the sun sets, the badger worries about accidentally falling asleep and missing the much-anticipated thing. Fortunately, the rabbit keeps watch for them both, and when the moment comes, the page orientation changes with a 90-degree turn and there is a breathtaking image of the glorious thing. "WOW! It's everything you said it was." As the tired pair head home, the frame of the illustration gets smaller and smaller on the page, closing out the rewarding day with the promise of something new to wait for tomorrow. VERDICTThis gentle guessing-game tale is layered with meaning for readers of all ages, and the words and pictures work fluidly together to create a rewarding read-aloud for sharing one-on-one or with a group. A first purchase.-Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA

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