Almost Time, written by Gary D. Schmidt & Elizabeth Stickney, reviewed by Judy Hauser

Summary: Ethan is waiting for many things to happen. There is no maple syrup for his pancakes, cornbread or oatmeal. His father tells him he has to wait for the weather to get warmer before the sap can be collected to make the syrup. If that's not enough then Ethan's gets a loose tooth. Now he has to wait for the tooth to come out and for the sap to run! The illustrations by G. Brian Karas are beautiful. They are especially good in demonstrating having to live with patience or the lack thereof in waiting for something to happen. Young children will enjoy the story and, probably, ask about making maple syrup! That would be a good learning experience. But talking to young children about anticipation and patience could be good discussion topics if it can be related to their young lives. 

Straight Talk for Librarians: A great book for discussions on anticipation and patience.