Stars: 5 out of 5
Pros: Funny look at why waiting is good
Cons: Could have shown distractions while waiting
The Bottom Line:
Gerald learns to wait
Will the surprise be worth it?
Fun lesson for us
I Cannot Wait to Tell You How Much I Enjoyed This Book
Usually, I discover that a new Elephant and Piggie book has
been released a few weeks after the fact, but I happened to catch an
announcement for the release of Waiting Is Not Easy! a couple of months back, and I couldn’t wait to read
it. (Some irony is involved there, I think.) Fortunately,
the wait was worth it.
It’s another nice day when Piggie tells Gerald she has a
surprise for her friend. The only clues she gives is that it is big,
it is beautiful, and they can enjoy it together. Oh, and it’s not
ready yet. And so Gerald spends the rest of the day being very
impatient waiting until he can enjoy the surprise. As the day goes
on, he gets more impatient to learn what it is. Will the wait be
worth it? What is the surprise?
Some entries in this series have obvious lessons, while some
are just for fun. This is a book with a pretty clear lesson about
patience being rewarded. (And it was released right before
Christmas. Coincidence?) Yet, as always, the lesson comes through with
plenty of warmth and humor. There is never a lecture, and kids and
parents will be entertained as they read.
The book continues the tradition of a story told solely
through pictures and dialogue between the two friends. And yet we
follow everything perfectly and get plenty of laughs. The cartoon
style of the pictures certainly helps with that, and it provides us with great
sight gags. The dialogue is pretty funny as well as Gerald gets more
impatient and Piggie keeps reassuring him the payoff is worth it.
The payoff is certainly worth it for us, and the last line
gives us another great laugh. Plus the illustrations on the last few
pages are some of the best we’ve seen in the series.
I do have one complaint, and it’s a small
one. Instead of constantly whining about how slowly time is moving,
it would have been nice if Gerald and Piggie tried to do something to make the
time go faster while they waited. I realize it’s not quite as funny,
but it would have shown that there are creative ways to cope when you have to
wait.
Complaint aside, fans who have been waiting for more
adventures with Gerald and Piggie will be rewarded with Waiting Is Not Easy! Now comes the wait for their next
book.
We are Gerald and Piggie fans here as well and I'll have to look for this new one. I don't disagree about it being nice if they had actually tried to make things go faster instead of just whining but maybe that can be a teaching lesson? Thanks for letting me know there's a new one!
ReplyDeleteSince ultimately the book does show that waiting is worth it, I'm okay with the lack of the other message. Besides, it a fun book. As I said, it's a minor issue - worth noting, but not really that big a deal.
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