Waiting for Goliath

by Antje Damm

Bear waits for his friend Goliath for a long time, even when others doubt he'll show up. This is a warm and surprising story about waiting for a friendwhose identity is a surprise!

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Storytime, Germany

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Antje Damm, 1965 in Wiesbaden geboren, ging nach dem Abitur zunächst als Aupair-Mädchen nach Italien, bevor sie in Darmstadt Architektur studierte. Dies führte sie erneut nach Italien, denn in Florenz verbrachte sie ein Auslandsemester. Danach arbeitete sie mehrere Jahre freiberuflich für diverse Architekturbüros. Seit ihre Töchter auf der Welt sind, schreibt und illustriert sie Kinderbücher. Heute lebt sie mit ihrem Mann und ihren vier Kindern in einem alten Fachwerkhaus in der Nähe von Gießen.


Antje Damm is a celebrated children’s writer and illustrator. Born in 1965 in Wiesbaden, Germany, she now lives with her husband and four children in a half-timbered house near Giessen. She has worked as an architect and has written and illustrated over a dozen books for children.

The Visitor, was selected as one of ten New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2018.

Reviews

[Carmen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear has been sitting and waiting since dawn.

Look at this opening visual:



It's fucking creepy as hell.

Actually, this book is pretty creepy, and I don't think 'creepy' was its intent.

Bear waits and waits and waits for this mysterious Goliath to appear.

"I'm waiting for Goliath," he tells everyone. "Goliath is coming! He's my best friend."



He waits through the night. The other animals start to doubt him.

"Your Goliath isn't coming," says Robin.
"Of course he is!" says Bear.
"He is definitely coming. You'll see."

This book is creeping me out. Bear is waiting for his mysterious friend Goliath. Goliath is taking forever to come. Who (or what) is Goliath? Is Bear psychotic or somehow mentally ill and thinks someone is coming to visit him, but will sadly sit on this bus stop bench until death? What is this, Wait Till Martin Comes ? Or even better, Wait Till Helen Comes?

It is now autumn. Goliath still isn't hear and Bear is still waiting.

The robins twitter.
"Quick, Bear, someone's here!"

"Is he behaving himself? Does he smell nice?" asks Bear.
"Not exactly," say the robins.

It's a dog pissing on the bus-stop bench.

"Then it's not Goliath!" growls Bear.

A bus pulls up.

But no one gets out.

The birds have flown away for winter.



Sometimes Bear forgets that he is waiting for Goliath.

I am so fucking creeped out right now. This book is getting creepier and creepier.

Bear starts to feel sleepier and sleepier. He hibernates - right at the bus stop - all winter. Fuck caves, I guess.

He wakes up in spring. It is warm.

He hears a faint noise like a hand sliding slowly across paper. Goliath is coming!

Creepy.

Goliath is a snail! He got here as fast as he could. The friends play happily together.THE END.


Now. I know the author didn't mean to be creepy. I'm sure this book is about patience and loyal friends and the power of friendship. Or whatever. But between the illustrations and Bear waiting for some mysterious stranger named Goliath to appear, it was honestly a little chilling.

Hard for me to rate this. How do you rate something like this?

Minus points for the bear being named Bear and the robin being named Robin. How come Goliath is the only animal with a real name? So that we don't ruin the Big Reveal, but still. If you are going to give Goliath a real name, then please name your other characters properly.

Tl;dr - Bizarre.
Ages 5 and under.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presented in wonderful 3D mixed-media dioramas, Waiting for Goliath is the second of Damm’s books that I have read after the similarly presented The Visitors. The story opens with Bear waiting for the arrival of his friend at a bus stop. Each spread is presented as a double page and, as we turn the pages, Bear explains to flighty visitors who he waiting for and why: his very best friend, Goliath. Instead of having to wait for a few minutes though, Bear waits through days and nights, weeks and months and seasons (all the more poignant with him being a bear) and even though many challenge him and tell him that Goliath is not coming, he shows great faith and patience and waits, until…

Bear is a wonderful template for that young child whose aspirations, trust and belief cannot be diminished by something as abstract as time or as dark as doubt. Instead he waits through it all, undaunted.

From the rather beautiful endpapers, showing a robin’s-eye view of the road where bear waits, to that final, wordless double-page spread, Waiting for Goliath is beautifully explored and it is clear that Damm listens to and watches children. Bear’s actions, philosophies and ideas are those soaked in an early childhood where belief and trust is unbreakable. The words themselves do much to celebrate this but it is the small-world space, with the red bench, the naked tree next to the bus-stop that thrums with story and life.

[L-J Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot tell you how much I love this book. Perfectly written and illustrated. Such a perfect nod to "Waiting for Godot"!

[Er Kuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple but lovely picture book on friendship.

[Michael Earp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about waiting.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I just discovered a new favorite bear book, a wonderful tale about a bear who’s waiting, waiting for Goliath, his best friend who is smart and wise, and well, worth waiting for. Robin keeps the conversation going, but he too flies on when it gets too cold. Goliath is sweet, and excited when a bus full of characters arrives, but no one disembarks. Bear keeps waiting and finally falls asleep. When he wakes up, spring has arrived, and you’ll need to read the remainder of the story to discover the surprise. German-born Antje Damm is an architect and an acclaimed author/illustrator. Antje’s collage illustrations are perfect for this simple and fun tale. Young readers will adore it!

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really happens in this book, which maybe should not be a surprise because it is called WAITING FOR GOLIATH. The MC doesn't do anything or go anywhere. The "surprise" at the end doesn't make up for this book full of inactivity and passiveness. Also, I like the style of illustrations in this book, but Bear looks nothing like a bear.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in Germany, this picture book features a sweet and most unlikely friendship. Bear waits patiently at a bus stop for his best friend Goliath to arrive. He brags about smart and strong his friend is, not surprising, of course, with a name like Goliath. As the seasons change, there Bear is, waiting for his friend. The passage of time is marked through the interesting illustrations that seem to feature cutout figures against a collaged backdrop filled with trees and bushes. Readers may wonder if Goliath even exists after all this waiting. But Bear's patience is rewarded, and his friend finally arrives. Readers will certainly be surprised once they realize who Goliath is and why it took so long for him to arrive. This picture book raises all sorts of possibilities when it comes to friendships, but it also celebrates a friendship that is never assailed by any doubts. The relationship is strange as is how the two friends end up spending their time, but I liked it because it make me do a double take and think for a bit.

[Kenzie Bloomer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While reading this book, the reader conjures images of a large creature that the bear is waiting for - a creature who might be big and scary. The anticipation grows as the bear begins to hibernate and the season changes and then the bear's friend arrives which is a small, slow snail. Through the illustrations, the reader is taken on a journey through the seasons changing and how some animals, like bears, hibernate.

This book could be used in an art lesson through creating a similar style book in the class. The illustrations / pictures on each page looks like a photograph of a set and has a 3D quality (art national curriculum). This book links art, English and science together

[Allie]

My favorite type of picture book illustration! These are a lot like Elly MacKay or Camille Garoche where it is a photographed diorama. Absolutely stunning. AND the story is really sweet, about friendship and patience.

[Lyne]

So ein liebes Kinderbuch über das Warten!

Das reveal von Goliath war echt cute!

"Seit dem frühen Morgen sitzt der Bär an der Bushaltestelle. Er wartet auf seinen Freund Goliath. Aber der kommt und kommt nicht. Doch der Bär ist sich sicher: Goliath lässt ihn nicht im Stich"

Ich frage mich nur, warum die Autorin den Namen Goliath ausgewählt hat😭

[Barbra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bear sits at a bus stops and waits, and waits and waits. His friend is coming, and he is moving as fast as he can. Can you guess who he is? A snail of course. Unique collage like drawings fill the pages as readers wait with bear.

[J Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a colourful, wonderful little book. Shows his faith in his friend. Leads the reader to think about how long some things take to happen and so we need patience. Being used in my daughters classroom (grade one) at the present time.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a bizarre book. I like its weirdness, but I genuinely think it might give younger kids nightmares. I do think older kids will like it, because it is weird and the artwork is something they can mimic themselves.

[Lola Volkova · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me, it’s not only a book about friendship, but also about patience, about waiting for inspiration. While reading it the second time, I noticed that the bear has been waiting for a whole year. The flow of time is hidden in the illustration without any word mentioning it.

[Alida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a visually yummy book!! A playful tip of the cap to Beckett but with a happy ending. The dimensionality of the art is so joyful that you simply keep turning the pages to see how the story will unfold. Simple and oh so beautiful. A true keeper.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an imported picture book and it feels...like an imported picture book. Sparse in text, the illustration style doesn't really appeal to me and the surprise ending that...isn't really a surprise. It makes a fine read-aloud and there's nothing wrong with it, just don't love it.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bear is waiting on his friend. He remains faithful and convinced his friend will arrive through a long day and everyone else's doubts. Eventually, Goliath does get there (a snail) and the two friends set off for adventures.
Message of patience and believing in yourself.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patience is a snail and a friend. Lovely.

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to read this book for the creative illustrations. They were great, but the story was cute too

[Boni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the art!!

[Linda Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful story wonderfully illustrated.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, fun nod to Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Originally published in Germany.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple and quick story, and very sweet story about a bear waiting for a friend.

[Manintheboat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these dioramas.

[Quintina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story about patience and friendship.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual illustrations created from little scenes made of paper and photographed.

[Mandy Robek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute story about patience and waiting and friendship

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 This style of illustration is captivating & I love that Goliath shows up.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bear waits through several seasons for his friend Goliath. Turns out it is a snail and he finally arrives. The bear takes him for a swing.