Waiting-for-Christmas Stories
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 | |
| Author | Bethany Roberts |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Sarah Stapler |
| Language | English |
| Series | Waiting-for Series[1] |
| Genre |
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| Published | 1994[2] |
| Publisher | Clarion Books[2] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 32[2] |
| ISBN | 0-395-67324-0 |
Waiting-for-Christmas Stories is a 1994 American children's book written by Bethany Roberts and illustrated by Sarah Stapler. The last in the informally named Waiting-for Series, it follows the same format as the first two titles (1984's Waiting-for-Spring Stories and 1990's Waiting-for-Papa Stories), this time with a holiday flavor. As with the two previous titles, reviews for this instalment were positive. Starting in 1995, publisher Houghton Mifflin (under its Clarion Books imprint) would bring out more holiday-themed books by Roberts under the Holiday Mice banner.
Papa Rabbit, the father previously seen in Waiting-for-Spring Stories (1984) and Waiting-for-Papa Stories (1990), shares seven miniature stories about the holiday season with his family[3] in the same vein as the previous books.[4][5][6]
Development
"I'm sure some of the Christmas ideas come directly from holidays that we celebrated in Wallingford. I write fantasy, so it's not like I'm taking stories out of my childhood, but there are bits and pieces. Even my love of rabbits. I had a pet rabbit when I lived in Wallingford. The first story I ever wrote as a child was about a rabbit."
With Waiting-for-Christmas Stories, publication of the series nicknamed Waiting-for[1] moved from Harper & Row[4][5] to Houghton Mifflin's Clarion Books imprint.[1] Maine-based artist Susan Stapler,[7] who replaced William Joyce by the time of Waiting-for-Papa Stories, remained as series illustrator.[6] Bethany Roberts, a children's author based in Hamden, Connecticut, originally drafted Waiting-for-Christmas during 1984; in later years, she would spend one week on a revision that formed the basis of the final version.[1] At the time of the draft, she pondered on "what animals would be waiting for spring. After I had a character, I thought, 'What else would children be waiting for?' 'Waiting-for Christmas' was really easy to think of. It sounded like a logical choice."[1]