Five Minutes - by Audrey Vernick & Liz Garton Scanlon (Hardcover)

About the Book

Throughout a child's day, five minutes can go by quickly (when you are on a roller coaster) or slowly (when you are in the dentist's chair).

Book Synopsis

A one-of-a-kind, laugh-out-loud picture book, perfect for any kid who has ever begged or bemoaned, "Five more minutes?!"

Families everywhere will recognize themselves in this clever, hilarious, and completely irresistible picture book. Five minutes is a lot of time... or is it? Well, it depends on what you're doing, of course! Follow one little boy and his family on a very busy day, as he discovers that sometimes five minutes feels like forever--like when you're finishing up at the dentist's office or waiting in line for the bathroom or in the backseat on a long car ride--and sometimes five minutes feels like no time at all--like when you're playing your favorite game or at the tippy top of a roller coaster or snuggling up with a book before bedtime.

Review Quotes

One of NPR's Favorite Books of the Year
A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book of the Year

"Picture-book validation for any child who has ever chafed at being told 'five more minutes' before the end of a fun activity, or groaned at prolonged unpleasantness for the same span . . . As for the book itself, well, in five minutes you can read it to 3- to 5-year olds--twice." --The Wall Street Journal

"The authors of one of my all-time favorite children's books (Bob, Not Bob) have done it again with Five Minutes . . . Olivier Tallec manages to masterfully illustrate boredom and frenzy, and the image of the little boy as he waits five minutes at the post office is snort-worthy." --NPR

"Certain to please, Five Minutes will have kids and grownups laughing on every page." --Books to Borrow, Books to Buy

"'Funny and astute, the volume represents five minutes well spent." --Publishers Weekly

"An accessible story that entices readers to slow down and enjoy a moment (maybe five?) in its company." --Kirkus Reviews

"As the title suggests, this is a very quotidian exploration of the lofty notion of the relativity of time as it plays out in a young kid's life . . . Kids will immediately relate and chime in with their own examples of fleeting and interminable intervals." --BCCB

About the Author

Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick have collaborated on two previous picture books: Bob, Not Bob! and Dear Substitute, which both received multiple starred reviews.
*****
Liz is the author of numerous beloved picture books, including the Caldecott Honor book All the World; Kate, Who Tamed the Wind; and Another Way to Climb a Tree. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her family. Learn more at lizgartonscanlon.com or on Twitter at @LGartonScanlon.
*****
Audrey received a 2019 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She has written more than twenty books, both fiction and nonfiction, for young readers. Her picture books include the critically acclaimed Brothers at Bat, First Grade Dropout, and Take Your Octopus to School Day. She lives near the ocean in New Jersey with her family and their dog. Visit her at audreyvernick.com or on Twitter @yourbuffalo.

Olivier Tallec has illustrated many books for children, including Sealed with a Kiss by Beth Ferry and This Book Will Not Be Fun by Cirocco Dunlap. He is also the author of Who Done It? and Louis I, King of the Sheep. He lives and works in Paris, France. You can visit him online at oliviertallec.fr.