A sweet little book to explain the arrival of a child to a toddler.
The rhythm makes for cute rhymes to learn and repeat at bedtime, like affirmations to do together.

Very tender and adorable book full of soft, crayon like illustrations that will warm the hearts of anyone who picks this up

I loved the inclusion of many races and both disabled and able bodied individuals in this book tho

Lovely overall message and vibe!!!

5 stars

"A perfect gift for any parent celebrating the arrival of a child. With breathtaking illustrations and a sweet rhyming text" Couldn't agree more with this description. Mostly a child that has been waited for a long time. This book will also serve as a reminder to that child, that her/his presence is important. Although life might rob you of the light, you should understand how loved you are.

I received a copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

What a beautiful picture book on waiting for your family to start. However that may happen we waited for you is a wonderful way to show the happiness, sadness, love and delight our child brings us when the finally arrive. I want to give this to all my adopted and foster care kids in my life.

This was precious, as being a person who has both carried and had a child, to also having issues with getting pregnant again, this book resonated. It's a sweet story for you to share with your little one and exudes the joy that one might feel.

This is a cute book and story but I’m not sure it’s a book I would read to a child. It’s meant to be a positive story but although it has a happy ending, it left me with a heavy heart.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for this ARC.

Such a beautiful, heartwarming story. "Sometimes it seemed everybody we knew- even the bears at the zoo- had a baby or two but we waited for you." The poetic rhymes along with the incredible, diverse illustrations make this a must read. We Waited for You: Now We're a Family would make a beautiful gift.

There was a time in my life when I was sure I wasn’t going to have a child. It was a difficult season in my life, and one I walked through quietly as everyone around me celebrated pregnancies, adoptions, and births. I was genuinely happy for everyone around me, but that didn’t change the deep ache inside, or the steady stream of tears I cried. I am thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness, the gift I have in my four boys who seem to be growing up way too fast, and the people who came alongside me during that time even if they didn’t know specifically what I was going through.

We Waited For You perfectly manifested my feelings during that difficult season, and reminded me of so many other dear friends who have or continue to struggle with the season of waiting. Cindy Chupack nailed the desire, pain, and great joy parents endure while they wait on their baby to arrive, and Emily Hamilton did an excellent job illustrating this sweet, touching, beautiful book. We Waited for You is the perfect book for any parent who is going through or who has gone through this difficult season, and is a beautiful read to share with your babies when they finally arrive.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for this ARC read! This beautiful book was released July 23, 2023 for sale, and I absolutely adored reading it!

We Waited for You is a beautiful book for kids about the power of their parents' love. The illustrations are beautiful, the words and the message are beautiful. While I was reading this, I was thinking of the many kids I know who were adopted, but also many of the parents who went through so many hardships to have a family, no matter how they did it. The message is clear. If your mom or dad (or any other type of parent) is reading this to you, it means are are special and super loved.

You can't give a kid a more powerful message than that! I loved this book! ❤️

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to review this eARC in exchange for my honest review on the book!

When I read the title of "We Waited for You," I knew I had to read it. With its powerful message written right on the cover, this book is more for parents than children. It is a perfect baby shower gift or present for a parent celebrating the arrival of a child. The story and the illustrations are beautiful. I very much enjoyed reading this to the baby I waited for and caught myself wiping away a tear or two. I will definitely be buying this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"We waited for you."

Honestly that's the whole message, but it's such a powerful one. This book doesn't talk about pregnancy or surrogacy or adoption, about types of families, just about how the parents waited for this one special child that was destined to be theirs. It's a beautiful reassurance for any child that they are wanted and that they are special.

And an acknowledgement that maybe, just maybe, that child was waiting for that specific family too.

I was crying before I read 10 words and am still sniffling now. Honestly this is such a beautiful book, one I want to give at every single baby shower.

3.5/5

I received an eARC of this picture book through NetGalley. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this work.

The illustrations are sweet and show some diversity in terms of types of families and skin colors, which I appreciated. There is a low amount of text on each page which would make this easy to share with and read to young children. The wording is vague enough to allow this to work for families who have been waiting for a child for many different reasons (such as adoption, infertility, or other things that may cause a family to wait), but it's specifically about welcoming a new infant/baby to the family (as opposed to an older child).

The book almost feels like it's more for the parent(s) (it would make a nice gift) than for a child, depending on how a family feels about sharing figurative expressions of how their child came into their life with their child (it may feel confusing to kids of some ages to hear they called down to their parents "from a cloud"). There's a reference to "Rock a Bye Baby" in the text which is also more a nod to adults than children, saying they left out the phrase "cradle will fall" when singing to baby - I don't think children would necessarily understand this unless they have experienced the lullaby or know the line.

The book and story overall were cute, but it was definitely more a picture book meant for the parent rather than the child. It was very focused on the parents experience and difficulties adding a child into their lives rather than the strong of the actual addition, which was a two page spread in the story. I do not say this to discredit anyone's personal journey or experience, this is just how I feel the book reads.

Chupack story is a beautiful story.

This story has the potential as well to touch the hearts of parents who have been blessed with a rainbow baby and want to share the joy of storytelling with them.

This is a truly wonderful book. For all the mommys and daddys who had to wait... it really expresses the pain and excitement and joy and all the emotions in between while waiting for their little one to arrive.

As a mama who waited over four years for her first baby, this book got me. Everything about it was perfect. The illustrations are so beautiful and the message is even more beautiful. I will 1000% be buying a physical copy of this book to read to my girls.

I’m not sure I get this book. The story is lovely, and the illustrations are nice. The story has a bit of a cadence and at times tries to rhyme but does not rhyme well. The idea is we waited for you and at first read, I thought it was an adoption story. But then towards the end, there’s an illustration of a pregnant mother, so maybe it’s that sometimes parents are older, and they waited for their child. I’m not quite sure. The book is lovely but since I can’t place say or the meaning behind it, it’s not sure I would read or share with other people.

The cover of this book is indicative of the absolutely lovely and appealing art work that is found inside. Five stars for such sweet illustrations for this story of families and love.

That said, the fanciful text may be confusing to some of the story’s intended audience (looking for a baby via balloon, for example). Also, the parents’ grief may be a bit of a burden to a child.

All that said, what comes across clearly is how deeply the adults wanted to be parents and what a wanted baby came into their lives. And, of course, all children want to know that they were wanted.

If this is a story about adoption or infertility, at least in part, I think that some more direct conversation after reading this title would be a good idea. Also, there is nothing at all related to birth and maybe that would have been welcome as well.

I wish that I did not have these quibbles. I very much like the concept and the illustrations are wonderful.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is such a great book that shows the journey many parents-to-be go on in order to start their family. I think it’s a great book to have that highlights the different ways families come to be. I would highly recommend reading this!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC. A beautiful book about waiting for a child, this will be poignant for anyone with a long-awaited baby, including someone adopting or having a rainbow baby after loss. This is a perfect bedtime story as well.

4.5/5 stars