Amber Waiting
Awards and Nominations
- IBBY Canada Outstanding Canadian Picture Book
- ALA Booklist Best of 2003 Editor's Choice Recipient
- Chocolate Lily Young Readers' Choice Award Nomination
- Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Book Nomination
La description
Amber makes a bid to catch her father’s attention. Amber lo-o-o-v-e-s Kindergarten — painting, looking at books, tying her shoes, sliding when it snows. But the one thing she can’t control is being picked up on time. Her father is frequently late, so she must wait and wait and wait in the secretary’s office after everyone else has left. It’s so embarrassing. To deal with her frustration, Amber concocts a world in which she sends her dad to wait for her — on the moon — while she has all kinds of wonderful adventures. This, she knows, would teach Dad a lesson he’d never forget, and all the dads from around the world would, like him, turn up on time to collect their children and embrace them. Back in the real world, Dad at last shows up and Amber makes a bid to catch his attention, to let him know what it feels like to be left alone in school — and finally, maybe, he gets the point. This delightful picture book combines the work of two extraordinary talents.
Reviews
"Words and pictures do an equally fine job delivering this winning message in ways that both children and parents will understand - easily. "
-- Publishers Weekly
"Denton creates brightly lit watercolor classroom and playground scenes, strands Amber beneath a clock, then opens broader scenes to depict her imagined flights. "
-- Kirkus Reviews
"A subtle, sensitive picture book that children will long remember. "
-- Booklist, Starred Review
"The book is an empathetic story for youngsters who are faced with adults who are cavalier about pick-up times and leave their children feeling diminished and scared. Gregory avoids reducing this effort to a message book, however, by telling the story through Amber's eyes with honest, simple expression. Denton's gentle watercolors artfully convey the girl's sense of desolation as well as her flight of fancy. "
-- School Library Journal
"Not only will Amber Waiting comfort children who may have to wait sometimes for busy parents, it is also an eyeopener for parents, reminding us that our lives should never get so busy that our children are left waiting. "
-- Telegram
"Beautifully illustrated. "
-- Nugget
"An emphathetic story. "
-- Book Review