Waiting Is Not Easy!
Gerald’s "GROAN!" grows larger on every page, allowing even non-readers to participate in the mounting frustration. It’s a funny, relatable look at the struggle of being patient while waiting for something exciting.
Waiting Is Not Easy! by Mo Willems is estimated to take about 3 minutes to read aloud (197 words, about 1 sentence a page), and it lands best with children aged 3-6.
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- Estimated read-aloud time
- about 3 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
- Word count
- 197Counted words
- Sentences per page
- 1Sentence per page
- Re-read tolerance
- 5/5still good at forty
- Vocabulary level
- 1/5plain words
- Best for
- Ages 3-6Our editorial fit
Our review
The book uses visual scale to teach expression. Watching the text get bigger as the character's frustration grows is a wonderful way to engage a child's sense of humor and scale.
It’s a great tool for talking about the big emotions that come with waiting. The payoff at the end is a beautiful, wordless moment that rewards the build-up of tension.
Themes
- patience
- friendship
- night sky
- humour
Books like Waiting Is Not Easy!
Matched by refrain, density, length, and listener—not just the subject.
There Is a Bird on Your Head!about 3.5 minutes estimated · 5/5 re-read
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!about 3.5 minutes estimated · 5/5 re-read
Grumpy Monkeyabout 6 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Frog and Toad Are Friendsabout 22 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Go, Dog. Go!about 6.5 minutes estimated · 4/5 re-read
Questions parents ask
How long does it take to read Waiting Is Not Easy! aloud?
About 3 minutes at an unhurried pace, including a standard allowance for page turns, pictures and participation, from a word count of 197. Stopping for a longer conversation on every page will add more time.
What age is Waiting Is Not Easy! actually for?
Ages 3-6 in our testing, which is narrower than the publisher's range. With 1 sentence a page and vocabulary at 1 out of 5, it asks for that much attention span and no more.
Does Waiting Is Not Easy! survive being read on repeat?
Yes - this is one of the few that is still fine on the fortieth reading, which is why it scores 5 out of 5 with us.
Is Waiting Is Not Easy! a good book for a child who will not sit still?
It helps that it has a refrain a child can join in with. Those three features are what keep a wriggling toddler listening, far more than the subject matter does.
Will my child memorise Waiting Is Not Easy!?
Probably, and fast. The book leans on a repeated refrain, and at 5 out of 5 for re-read tolerance it survives the nightly repeats that get a book memorised. Expect your child to chant the pattern back before they can actually read.
Can a beginning reader read Waiting Is Not Easy! on their own?
It is closer than most picture books. With 1 sentence a page and plain vocabulary (1 out of 5), a confident early reader can attempt it, though it is written to be read aloud first.
Is Waiting Is Not Easy! part of a series?
Yes, it belongs to the Elephant & Piggie series. It stands on its own, so you can start here without reading the others in order, then move to the rest if it lands.
What themes does Waiting Is Not Easy! cover?
We tag it with patience, friendship, night sky and humour. Those are the threads that actually run through the book, not just the ones on the cover, which is how it earns its place on our themed lists rather than a keyword match.
Lists Waiting Is Not Easy! is on
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