Official Review: They're Waiting For Me by Ernie Harker

[melissy370]

Love the cover of the book and am glad to hear the rest if the illustrations inside are just as nice. Monster chores will certainly be entertaining for the little ones.

[NL Hartje]

The target audience for this book intrigues me. It's possible that it's because I didn't give my children many chores at a young age, but I feel a disconnect when trying to imagine a child reading it. I wouldn't think most 2-5 year olds have a ton of chores beyond "pick up your toys," and a 8-10 year old wouldn't read a rhyming picture book (at least my eight year old wouldn't). I'm in no way commenting on your suggested audience, I'm sure you hit that spot on, I'm just musing

[CommMayo]

I think this might just be my autobiography...as I sip my coffee in front of my computer avoiding my Saturday morning chores. Alas, those chickens and goats aren't going to feed themselves...

Nice review...sounds like a cute book.

[Eiusufova]

I definitely recommend to read it!

[bookowlie]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! CommMayo - after reading this book, I felt guilty and washed the kitchen floor. NL Hartje, I agree that kids under the age 5 are not given chores. Still, rhyming books usually appeal to young children and the story sets a good example that they might follow when they are a little older.

[Jkhorner]

I love the idea for this book! It is clever and enticing, and will give kids something to visualize when faced with their own chores. Thank you for a solid review!

[cpru68]

This book sounds so unique and fun! I love silliness to motivate children to do chores or home work. The storyline is so relatable. I think we all, even as adults, don’t want to spend our “free time” consumed by chores! The colors and the illustration on the cover are so inviting! I think I know a few kids (and adults) who would love this book. Your review is a great asset to the book as well. Nicely done with great advice for improvement.

[Jonte_fonsi]

That the writing has a natural flow with no awkward phrasing employed in order to fit into the rhyme scheme is a pleasant observation for a prospective reader to make.
Wonderful review for a seemingly nice read

[Huda83]

A book dealing with a girl who didn't enjoy doing chores around the house. I think any Mom with young girls would willingly buy this book.

[Agnes Tuitalele]

I love this review.
And it's true as kids growing up most of us don't like doing chores.
When we are asked to do a chore we drag and come up with all sorts of excuses before we get whatever it is that needs getting done.

[bookowlie]

Thanks for the nice feedback! It's great when a book can be fun and also reinforce good values for children.

[kfwilson6]

Is there a new trend in not naming characters in children's books? I encountered the same issue in the last book I reviewed. There was the title character but then the town, mayor, and young girl (who was central to the story) were not named. I thought this would be a negative aspect to discussing the story after reading it. When a parent reads this with his child or has the child read it and asks about it, it's really awkward to keep saying "the girl." It also seems to take away a little bit of personalization. I'm not a fan of the lack of names (clearly).

I really like the concept of this book and the illustrations sound unique and fun. Awesome review! I want to read this book

[Jamasenu]

That's the first I've heard of the main character having no name. It does seem impersonal and separates the reader from connecting with the character. Sometimes the author forgets or uses words inadvertently that don't fit the audience they're trying to reach. Overall, you gave the book a good rating and a good review.

[bookowlie]

Is there a new trend in not naming characters in children's books? I encountered the same issue in the last book I reviewed. There was the title character but then the town, mayor, and young girl (who was central to the story) were not named. I thought this would be a negative aspect to discussing the story after reading it. When a parent reads this with his child or has the child read it and asks about it, it's really awkward to keep saying "the girl." It also seems to take away a little bit of personalization. I'm not a fan of the lack of names (clearly).

I really like the concept of this book and the illustrations sound unique and fun. Awesome review! I want to read this book

Thanks for taking the time to read my review and post a comment! I don't know if it's a trend, but I agree it's makes the character seem less personalized. I think kids relate to named characters.

[bookowlie]

That's the first I've heard of the main character having no name. It does seem impersonal and separates the reader from connecting with the character. Sometimes the author forgets or uses words inadvertently that don't fit the audience they're trying to reach. Overall, you gave the book a good rating and a good review.

Thanks Jamasenu! I think the character having no name was a little odd. In fact, I wasn't even sure at first she was a girl, since her sleep clothes could have been worn by either gender.