So says Kirkus Reviews! Whew! It’s always a relief to get a great review from Kirkus because, as I’m sure I’ve mentioned here before, Kirkus tends to be the first trade review we receive. We are about four months from publication, which seems like a long time, but this is when those Kirkus reviews can typically come in. It’s an odd thing, that once the book is actually in stores (March 4, 2025), I will have already read reviews–from magazines, bloggers, book-stagramers–you name it, and I will have a pretty good idea of how it’s being received, even before the general public has taken the first peek! And so, yes, lots of nervous energy as reviews start to come in, but always a big sigh of relief when they are good!
Here’s the full review:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/marcy-campbell/what-are-you-waiting-for-2/
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Don’t wait to hand this book to a child: Any story that strengthens kids’ confidence is a winner.
Don’t wait, don’t hesitate!
The time is now for taking a bow, advises this affirmational book that encourages readers to seize the moment and cheerfully sets the stage for helping kids boost their self-esteem. The story follows a group of aspiring young performers behind the scenes and then onstage at a talent show. Motivated by a sign announcing “The Talent Show Needs You,” gifted would-be stars are “waiting to prove” they’re “ready for action.” At the outset, the narrative makes clear that the “star” is YOU, the reader/listener, who’s “brimming with skills.” It’s only natural that confidence may flag and worries will set in occasionally, but, Campbell assures readers, everything the children have done before has prepared them to shine, and they’re all “learning and growing…and [getting] much stronger too!” Plus, what if the hotly anticipated moment’s even better than imagined? Some of this rah-rah cheerleading may go over children’s heads, but the essential message about doing/trying one’s best to achieve a goal and subsequently feeling a burst of self-confidence rings true. The cheery illustrations featuring smiling, racially diverse characters, rendered in pencil, pastels, crayons, and markers and enhanced digitally, add to the bright, upbeat tone.
Don’t wait to hand this book to a child: Any story that strengthens kids’ confidence is a winner. (Picture book. 5-8)