Waiting for Goliath by Antje Damm

I spied this Gecko Press book in the library at Westmead Children's Hospital and the illustrations intrigued me.

Bear sits at the bus stop waiting for his best friend - Goliath. Night falls and Bear falls asleep. Robin tells Bear his friend is not coming. It seems that the seasons are passing. We see the tree with leaves, then fruit and then autumn leaves. A bus pulls up at the bus stop but Goliath is not a passenger. Winter arrives and the birds fly south. Bear climbs off the bus seat and falls into a deep sleep while the snow falls all around him. When he wakes up it is spring.

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

I can hear your group of young library visitors squealing when they discover the identity of Goliath! If you can find a copy of this book from 2018 it will be a perfect read aloud in your school library or you might borrow it to share with your young reading companion at home.

An only seemingly simple but endlessly sweet meditation on patience.  Kirkus Star review (contains a spoiler)

It's a delightful story, told in simple, clear language and it highlights the meaning of true friendship which actually celebrates differences rather than allowing them to form a barrier. And Bear is so patient: he's prepared to wait for his friend, no matter what. BookBag

The gorgeous artwork comprises a mixture of cut-outs and collage combined in beautiful dioramas. The endpapers at the front show an empty road, while those at the back feature one set of pawprints leaving. Children will have really good fun predicting and guessing what or who Goliath is. In this warm little story about loyalty, faith and friendship, Damm has created a really likeable character about whom children will want to hear more. Children's Books Ireland

Gecko Press talked to Antje Damm about her illustration technique. It reminded me of the work by Soyeon Kim who also uses dioramas. 

Image Source: Instagram

My first two books with Gecko Press were constructed from paper and cardboard. For The Visitor, I made a box with figures inside and photographed each scene. Colour comes gradually into the story so I painted the figures and the room for each scene then photographed it before painting it again. The lighting effects come through a hole at the top of the box. This was a risky way to make the book, because each time I changed the scene, the earlier version was lost. If the photographs hadn’t worked out, the whole book would have been ruined!

See inside this book here

From the Walker Books webpage: 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. Take a look at her Instagram account. 

I do hope Gecko Press have a plan to translate more books by Antje Damm especially Füchslein im Walde - which is dedicated to the topic of dying, death and mourning.

A fox comes into the forest. He is carrying a large box filled with tomato soup cans, because he is toothless and old. The rabbits, who were first afraid of him, soon understand this, and so some get to know each other who actually have nothing in common. The fox talks about his long life and teaches the rabbits important wisdom. They, in turn, accompany him when the old fox dies. After his death, they put him in his big box, bury him and say goodbye. But he remains alive in her memories.