Waiting for Iced Tea

You can't rush real iced tea.

Charlotte wants to wait patiently. She really does. But waiting is hard, especially on a stifling Maryland morning, when her t-shirt feels like a hot, heavy blanket, and she can't think of anything but Nana's cold, sweet, lemony, real iced tea.

There are so many steps to Nana's secret recipe tea! Steeping, sugaring, cooling . . . baking muffins to go with it! Nana tells her to find something useful to do while she waits, so Charlotte sweeps, and swings, and snaps pillowcases, but it still isn't ready!

Charlotte has to find more things to do to pass the time, and soon she finds that a day spent waiting can be a day spent enjoying the slower moments. Sometimes the sweetest things in life are the things we have to wait for, and learning to savor them slowly is a joy all its own.

Included is a reader's note for adults on helping kids learn how to wait, plus a secret recipe to try at home.

Karen Gebbia is a children's book writer and naturalist based in California. Before writing for children, Karen spent two decades writing, publishing, editing, and teaching scholarly writing. Visit her website.opens in new window

Mette Engell is a Danish children's illustrator with a master's degree in biology and a lifelong love of storytelling. She creates painterly, narrative illustrations that highlight atmosphere, character, and quiet emotional moments. She lives by the ocean in Denmark. Visit her on Instagram.opens in new window