Review of Stevie Tenderheart Books WAIT A MINUTE! (An Illustrated Novella)

[Rebecca De Figueiredo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Stevie Tenderheart Books WAIT A MINUTE! (An Illustrated Novella)" by Steve William Laible.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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WAIT A MINUTE!
Steve William Laible
Illustrated by Nancy Watson.

When we were children, our imaginations ran riot, and wacky situations (in our minds) were part of life's make-up. As we grew older, our thoughts stabilized into a more mundane and sensible outlook. We learned that animals are not human and we cannot eat rainbows. Steve Laible is writing as if he is the little boy, with all the highly imaginative scenarios that little boys (or little girls) conjure up and that anything's possible. He uses made-up words that match the mood and should be included in a dictionary. (as an adult, the adjective blodge, as in 'blodge of cake', is perfectly acceptable). The author is 'giving permission' to small children to use their imaginations. I liked the way that the subject of bed-wetting was subtly included: playing it down. Little bedwetters may feel better after reading it.

The cover picture is eye-catching, using brown, green and purple, and includes plenty of animals. This theme continues throughout the book. The boy has a friendly round face and mesmerizing eyes (although I found them irritating as they seemed like cross-eyes). The animals all have familiar faces.

The prose is easy to read: it can be read to a child, or they can read for themselves. The 'out of the box words' are nicely sprinkled around, adding a light touch to the reading. Some of his sentences are very nice, such as 'I should fill my bed with better, tender, softer things', which I found was like poetry. The book develops as a children's fable would, with the situation becoming more extreme until his mother makes an entrance.

'Wait a Minute' is a good book for children in the age group of 5 - 8 years, and there are other books in this range, with the benefit of raising money for various children's charities if bought. I will give this book a 5 out of 5-star rating as I found no errors, and it would make an excellent book for small children.

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Stevie Tenderheart Books WAIT A MINUTE! (An Illustrated Novella)
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