It is the waiting time of year. Waiting for the first snow. Waiting for the leaves to fall off that last tree in front of the house. (and hoping it happens before the first snow). Waiting for the holidays. This year, waiting for the governmental transition. For kids it is waiting for presents and candies and a break from school. And, for kids, it can seem like the time for all these things is never going to actually get here.

While we are all in that waiting mode, as the wind whistles outside and the skies get dark mid-afternoon, maybe it’s a good time to curl up with your little one and a good book about…waiting.

Waiting by Kevin Henkes

An owl, a pig, a bear, a puppy, and a rabbit sat on a windowsill. Each one was waiting for something different. With spare language and soft, muted blues and greens and pinks, Henkes gives readers the sense of the thickness of waiting. Pegged for Preschool-K.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus and Crockett Johnson

A little boy planted a carrot seed. No one thought it would grow. He took care of it anyway. And he waited. But nothing came up. Everyone told him it would not grow. But he continued to take care of it. And then…

This book is over 70 years old and is still in print. A testament to its timeless quiet approach to waiting.

Pegged for ages 4-8.

Share your favorite books about waiting.

As the NBA finals get underway, I am digging out my copy of my favorite basketball book!

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

This book is a perfect mix of basketball and just plain life. Twin boys are stars of their middle school basketball team, mentored by their father, a former professional basketball player. When one of the boys falls for his first girlfriend, spending more time with her and less time with his brother, the relationship between the twins becomes strained as the other twin struggles to find his place in the new configuration of relationships.

The plot kept me interested from beginning to end. But it is the writing that is one-of-a-kind. The author had me hooked from the very beginning all the way through. Written like a long poem, the word choices are delicious. And the rhythms add a musical quality that intensified my experience of the narrative. Listen to this: “My shot is FLOWING, Flying, fLuTtErInG OHHHHHHHH, the chains are JINGALING ringaling and SWINGALING Swish.”

I am not the only one who loves this book. The Crossover won top honors: the Newbery Award and the Coretta Scott King Award. A great read.

Pegged for grades 6-12.

So you want to talk to your kid about courage? Or maybe your kid comes to you and asks what courage means. Either way, here’s a book that is rich with food for thought and conversation.

Courage by Bernard Waber

This is not a storybook. It’s a book that explores many different ways to have courage – from the tall to the small. Like when it’s your turn to check on the night noises in the house, or to make sure nobody picks on your little brother, or when you’re trying to get up the spunk to sign your real name on a valentine to your secret crush. Courage is not just for famous heroes. It’s for ordinary people. It’s for you and me.

Pegged for ages 4-8.

Ever need some alone time? You know, you love your family, your friends, your co-workers and schoolmates, your kids… BUT! If you have to hear one more bit of chatter or listen to one more giggle, or “Mama pleeeeez” you think you might explode?! Here’s a book for you (and you can share it with your kids…they’ll recognize the situation immediately!)

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

Grandma wants to knit. She has sweaters to make! But her many grandchildren are running around, getting into the yarn, raising a ruckus. Grandma’s had enough. She packs up and heads for the hills. But she’s not alone there either – a pack of bears is very interested in her knitting. So she climbs higher. Still not alone she climbs to the moon and then through a wormhole. Alone at last!

Brosgol’s words and illustrations come together to present vivid images that conjure up that all too familiar feeling of wanting to be alone. And the ending reminds us the feeling is only temporary. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Pegged for Preschool-2nd grade.

Here I am closing out on my sixth decade. And yet I am tingling with anticipated joy at the thought of dying Easter eggs this Saturday. There is something so satisfying about the transformative process of dipping a white egg into a murky liquid and 5 minutes later pulling out that same egg, now bursting with color. Here’s a book that takes a different look but captures that same sense of possibility.

Egg by Kevin Henckes

Four eggs. One pink, one blue, one yellow, one green. Three of the eggs crack as expected. The fourth just sits. And sits. The newborn chicks from eggs 1-3 lend a little chick help. The fourth egg cracks. And out comes….something very different. The illustrations are infused with the joyful pastels of Easter. The simple text conveys the possibility of magic and miracle.

Pegged for ages Preschool-1st grade. Fun for adults like me!