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Summary
Summary
Wait! Wait! is an ideal book for young children that gently follows their rhythms and preoccupations. With a text of few words, frequent repetitions, and delicate illustrations with which children will quickly identify, the book follows a young child's discovery of other creatures. This discovery comes with the recognition that while other creatures can suddenly appear they can also go away and disappear just as quickly. But the delightful appearance of a dad and his playful swoop of his toddler up onto his shoulders will remind little ones that the people who love them will always be there and will never, ever not come back.
Hatsue Nakawaki is a prolific author of children's books.
Komako Sakai was born in Hyogo, Japan, in 1966. After graduating from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Sakai worked at a kimono textile design company. She is currently one of the most popular authors and illustrators in Japan. Her books Emily's Balloon and The Snow Day have been published in the United States and were received with starred reviews and much acclaim.
Author Notes
Komako Sakai: Komako Sakai was born in Hyogo, Japan, in 1966. After graduating from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Sakai worked at a kimono textile design company. She is currently one of the most popular author/illustrators in Japan. Her books Emily's Balloon and The Snow Day have been published in the US and were received with starred reviews and much acclaim.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-The nearly incidental minimalistic text (the titular refrain) serves as an outline for Sakai's inspired illustrations, which capture tiny moments of a toddler's exploration of the world. On the first page, the youngster chases a butterfly, to the words, "Wait! Wait!" On the next, the butterfly flies away, "fluttering up in the air." And so it goes as the child discovers a lizard, some pigeons, and two cats, and finally is swung up onto Daddy's shoulders, to the words, "Here we go!" The spare text gives the illustrations room to shine and a child's imagination room to roam. The acrylic and oil pencil illustrations use simple lines and colors to capture both motion and emotion. The backgrounds are mostly white, with only the most important details sketched in, but the black of the pencil manages to give the earth and rocks and grass both texture and immediacy. The small details ground the illustrations in reality, and the blurred wings of the pigeons capture the movement in almost photographic reality. Sakai is a wizard with the medium, capturing the child's emotions with simple lines and bringing the animals fully to life. The limited use of color and paint emphasizes the texture of the cats' fur, the birds' wings, and the flowers' petals. Parents and toddlers will see themselves in these pages and delight in Sakai's ability to bring them to life. A quiet gem.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Nakawaki and Sakai trace a small child's attempts to explore-and keep up with-the surrounding world in a picture book first published in Japan in 2002. Dressed in white overalls, a striped shirt, and chunky shoes, the toddler (who could easily be a boy or a girl) is the star of every spread. Sakai sketches the child and the outdoors in crayony black lines against white backgrounds, giving just a light sense of setting. Conversely, the animals that catch the child's eye-a yellow butterfly flying past, a muddy lizard perched on a slab of concrete, a cluster of blue-gray pigeons-appear in fine, naturalistic detail, and the toddler's awed, open-mouthed facial reactions are drawn with similar care. "Wait! Wait!" is the refrain as the animals dash out of reach. Though they prove too quick for this emerging walker, the child gets scooped up in the final pages, receiving yet another view of the world from atop Dad's shoulders. A lovely and intimate study of a child's growing sense of independence, capability, and curiosity. Up to age 3. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this simplest of stories for the very young, a toddler persists in trying to connect with others in her low-to-the-ground world. First she approaches a resting butterfly, but it flutters away; a small lizard scuttles between two rocks, out of sight; a flock of pigeons flies off; two snoozing cats suddenly vamoose. Despite her repeated pleas ("Wait! Wait!"), the little girl can't catch up with any of them -- but then her father catches up with her, swooping her up onto his shoulders for an adventure together ("Here we go!"). Illustrator Sakai (In the Meadow, rev. 7/11) once again captures, in minimalist double-page spreads, the body language and characteristics of a curious young child interacting with her world. Acrylic and oil-pencil illustrations in the softest of palettes reveal her determination in pursuing her hoped-for new friends and her bafflement when they run away -- as well as her ability to switch gears when a new experience is offered. The pacing, amount of text, and judicious use of repetition suit the book perfectly for preschoolers; the page turns are particularly effective. A welcome picture book from an author and illustrator who clearly understand young children and convey that understanding with gentle eloquence. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A small child is wonder-struck by every creature she encounters. She wants nothing more than to examine and touch and follow each of them. But a butterfly flutters off into the air, a lizard wiggles away between the rocks, pigeons fly out of reach, and the family cats scat as she nears. As each disappears from view, the little one calls, "Wait! Wait!" Finally, Daddy scoops her up and lovingly guides her as they go off on an adventure of their own. Nakawaki, with the help of translator Kaneko, offers these moments of wonderment and exploration in lovely, spare text, with each word carefully chosen to capture the swift, fluid movements of the creatures and the determination of the curious baby. Sakai's soft, delicate acrylic-andoil-pencil illustrations are breathtaking. The butterfly, lizard, pigeons and cats are brilliantly depicted in vivid, accurate detail, while the child is all expressive softness and yearning as she encounters each new experience. Each double-page spread is a sea of white, with a single large-print sentence and a lightly drawn hint of setting, allowing the characters and action to hold center stage. Parents and their little ones will snuggle together to read this joyous evocation of the newness and wonder of the world over and over again. Tender and wistful and glorious. (Picture book. 1-5)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this gentle book for very young children, a toddler is playing outdoors, enchanted by the living things he sees. First a butterfly flutters by, but Wait! Wait! it swoops up into the air. Then a lizard crawls by, but Wait! Wait! it too disappears, wiggling off into a crevice near the sidewalk. Next pecking pigeons flap and fly away. Finally, two cats Meow. Meow. Meow away from the little one's outstretched arms. When Dad picks up the tot by the tummy, his little body makes a U shape as he stretches his arms down to reach for all the exciting things he sees. With a final Here we go! Dad scoops the tot up onto his shoulders as they continue their walk through the park. Delicate illustrations in acrylics and oil pencils on white backgrounds echo the spare quality of some Japanese artwork, and the sweetly expressive features and movements show Sakai's ability to accurately portray the actions and emotions of a child just beginning to explore the world.--Gepson, Lolly Copyright 2010 Booklist
