The Longest Wait - Hardcover

A snowstorm in a time of wooden sleds and horse-drawn wagons is the setting for this picture-book slice of life. Although Thomas's mother warns that "a man's not fit" for "strong wind and deep snow," not even the driving blizzard outside their door keeps Thomas's mailman father from his charge. Catalanotto's (Letter to the Lake) full-spread watercolors not only portray the family's anxiety as they wait for the father's return, but in dreamlike line drawings behind or beside the contemporaneous action, he suggests both past and future events. The illustrations convey, for instance, the fun Thomas imagines he will have in the snow when Daddy comes home; then later, as Thomas listens to his feverish father's account of the day, the artist portrays the hardships the father suffered in the blinding snow. The paintings supply the emotional moods absent from the text. While Bradby's (More Than Anything Else) first-person narration through Thomas's eyes is sprinkled with poetic images (e.g., "a sea of snow rolled and sprayed the air thick with white sparkles"; Daniel sits in a rocking chair "rocking the time away"), readers rarely witness the protagonist's reactions. His father recounts a catastrophic day that puts his health at risk, but only Catalanotto's portraits convey the boy's responses. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Kindergarten-Grade 3-Readers will be immediately drawn into this episode from the lives of a close-knit African-American family somewhere in rural America. The book begins with dramatic watercolor paintings of a blizzard and the simple phrase, "Daddy went out in the snow." Thomas's father is a mailman setting out on horseback to deliver the mail despite the terrible storm. The children are sure he'll be fine because "Daddy can do anything," but their mother is worried. While waiting, Thomas thinks about all of the things he'll do with his father when he returns. However, when supper time has passed and the man is still not home, the boy's confidence turns to anxiety. Suspense builds subtly. Even when the child sees the horse come back, through the snow it isn't clear whether or not it has a rider. Children may be confused by the placement of the title page, which comes after the first few pages of text and breaks the mood created in the opening pages. Still, this is a fine book for units on the family or courage and makes an appealing read-aloud. A comforting story with a poetic style and evocative artwork.
Irene Symons, Queens Borough Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.