Waiting for Later

Tina Matthews (author/illustrator)

Walker Books, Australia: May 2011

ISBN: 9781921720055

Genres: picture book, realistic fiction

Issues: family, identity

Shortlisted for the 2011 Qld Premier's Award

Later. That seems to be the only answer Nancy, the youngest, seems to get whenever she asks someone else to spend time with her. So she finds a place to wait for later. A place where she can watch her family. A place that always has time for a girl who's at that in-between age when some days she feels small and others she feels big.

Tina Matthews' simple story captures completely the at times heart-aching difference between the constant 'now' of a child's world and the busy, scheduled days of the adults who care for them. Self-entertainment and being alone is always a tough lesson for children to learn. Waiting For Later explores both the pain and excitement of that lesson as Nancy finds confidence, independence and company in the arms of a very special tree.

Matthew's simple language is beautifully supported by her detailed illustrations. The early images, when Nancy is trying to convince her family to play with her, show a small child who disappears against the background of adult activity. Once Nancy is in the tree, she is ruler of her world, the dominant figure against a blue sky and the complex rhythm of the branches.

There is much to think about here – the need for children to develop independence and resilience; the need for adults to make time in their lives rather than miss the simple pleasure of playing with a child; above all the need for balance.

Waiting for Later is a gentle story that can be read on several levels.