Waiting: 08/18/17

Waiting by Kevin Henkes is the Velveteen Rabbit for the 21st century. It's the story of a child's toys lined up on a window sill and what happens around them.

Initially it starts with introducing each toy and what they like waiting for. It's basically a toy a season. It's a quiet start about the soothing passing of time and the comfort in routine.

But children's lives aren't static and as they change so do their things. Toys come and go. Some are given away. And some are broken. For the others waiting on the sill these events are taken rather matter of factly, which was off putting in the first time I read the book.

Granted, these are toys but often when toys are used as characters they are imbued with more emotions, more sense of caring for the bodged together family that they are as some child's toys. Not here.

Finally there is a new long term character brought in who by her shape will be recognizable to anyone who has seen a matryoshka doll. Here though it's a cat to keep with the animal theme. For the other sill toys and for children not used to them there's one last bit of anticipation. What is the cat waiting for? Or maybe it's who is she waiting for?

Four stars

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