Hurry Up and Read These Picture Books About Patience

by Devon A. Corneal

Photo credit: Halfpoint Images, Moment Collection/Getty Images

Any parent or teacher can tell you that patience may be a virtue, but it’s in short supply in the under-six crowd. Young kids rarely understand why they can’t have what they want immediately. Everything feels urgent to them. They never want to wait in line and always need their snacks now.

Needless to say, teaching children the value of patience can be a maddening task. But before you despair, you may want to check out these lovely, funny, poignant books that help kids discover that some things are worth the wait. As a very wise bear once said, “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2021.