Skip to Main Content

Waiting at Woy Woy

Illustrated by Emily Snape
Published by POW! Kids Books
Distributed by Simon & Schuster

LIST PRICE $18.99

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

Free shipping when you spend $40. Terms apply.

Buy from Other Retailers

About The Book

The courage of a town’s local dog teaches a valuable lesson: Don’t Let Life Pass You By. Waiting at Woy Woy’s playful rhymes and water-color illustrations create a theatrical world that will have Young Readers cheer for the animal characters who help this town how to be a little less… sleepy.

In the Australian seaside town of Woy Woy, the locals seem stuck waiting for their lives to begin. A man waits for the lake to be stocked with fish, a child waits for his grandmother to join at the bus stop, a newscaster waits for a big news break, and a romantic waits for a glimpse of her love while walking to their date.

All this waiting keeps life sleepily dull in Woy Woy. One community member that brings joy is a small, piano-playing mouse named Mordy. It seems that life drones on, when a sudden storm floods the town and poor Mordy is washed away! All the people wait to act, assuming it will be another individual that takes up the cause to save Mordy.

It takes the courage of a local dog, Tyrone, who leaps into action and becomes the hero of this stagnant town. Tyrone teaches a valuable lesson about not letting life pass by.

Told in playful rhymes and illustrated in soft, inviting watercolors, Waiting at Woy Woy will encourage little ones and their parents to seize the day.

Excerpt

“Clouds wait over Woy Woy. Rain splashes and sploshes.
Robbie waits at the curb, wearing bright red galoshes.

He waits and he and grins as the street fills with rain,
Then launches his red paper boat down the drain.

Slumped at her desk, the newsreader’s nappin’,
Waiting, still waiting, for something to happen.

And then, something does. The trees start to stir.
Something quite strange is about to occur.”



“He comes down with a splash and is gone in a wink.
No one dares move. No one dares blink!

More bubbles rise and pop on the surface.
The crowd’s getting twitchy. Everyone’s nervous.

People murmur and whisper, “Why did we wait?”
"Mordy needed our help and now it's too late!"

But just as they think that Tyrone has failed,
He appears, holding Mordy the Mouse by the tail.”

About The Author

Robin George is a retired English and Drama teacher of all ages. While his writing credits include one-act plays and poetry, his focus is now on rhyming narratives for younger people. He has two daughters, Jeni and Melanie, and lives with his wife, Grete, in Melbourne, Australia.

About The Illustrator

Emily Snape is a children’s author and illustrator living in London. Her work has appeared online, on television, in shops and even on buses! She loves coffee and notebooks, and has three cheeky children, Leo, Fin, and Flo who keep her on her toes and give her lots of inspiration for stories. You can find out her latest publishing news on Instagram: @emily_snape_illustrator

Product Details

  • Publisher: POW! Kids Books (February 6, 2024)
  • Length: 32 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781648230189
  • Grades: P - 2
  • Ages: 4 - 7

Browse Related Books

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this illustrator: Emily Snape