Five Minutes: (that's a Lot of Time) (No, It's Not) (Yes, It Is)

"Time is relative" serves as this volume's premise and punch line as readers follow a little boy with round eyes through his day, and five-minute time frames--usually imposed on him by the adult world--shrink and stretch depending on the circumstances. The time frame is long when the boy's mother needs to handle some boring bank business--"Five minutes is forever," write Scanlon and Vernick (Dear Substitute)--but it's way too short when there are puppies to see in the pet shop window ("Only five minutes?") or there's a chance of winning a carnival fishing game ("Seriously. Hang on"). The crisply paced and smartly varied vignettes build to a sweet closing moment, when the father extends a snuggle and bedtime story by an extra five minutes. Tallec (What If...), working in smudgy hues of blue and green acrylic paint punctuated with orange and red, puts his protagonist through a wide range of comically dramatic poses. Funny and astute, the volume represents five minutes well spent. Ages 3-7. Authors' agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Sept.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

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