Thank you to Booklist for this nice review!
What Are You Waiting For?
By Marcy Campbell. Illus. by Shelley Johannes.
Mar. 2025. 40p. Little, Brown, $18.99 (9780316214247). PreS-Grade 1.
REVIEW. First published February 25, 2025 (Booklist Online).
Campbell’s picture book delivers a reassuring message as it follows a group of children auditioning for their school talent show. The group includes a comedian (whose jokes are interspersed throughout), a dog trainer, a magician, and a juggler, most of whom appear confident in their skills, though one girl in particular isn’t so sure about performing. The text encourages those children as well as readers to remember all the growth and improvement gained from practicing that will enable them to succeed. When the day of the talent show finally arrives, a couple of performances aren’t quite what the children planned, thanks to a few mishaps, but some turn out better than expected. The uncertain girl progresses from peeking around the stage curtain to happily hula hooping for the audience. The brightly colored, engaging pencil, pastel, and crayon illustrations are filled with movement and are sure to capture readers’ attention.
— Maryann Owen