HOW CAN I WAIT WHEN THERE'S A TREAT ON MY PLATE?

Pete and Dell are sweet-toothed brothers who learn strategies to help them delay gratification in this rhyming picture book.

The brown-skinned twin boys with kinky-curly brown hair are given what amounts to Dr. Walter Mischel’s famous 1960s-era “Marshmallow Test” when their mom says they can have a marshmallow now or ice cream later, after the T-ball game. Pete eats the treat immediately while Dell decides to wait until after the game for the ice cream, which both boys prefer to marshmallows. In moments of temptation, the scale of the enticing treat is emphasized to show its overpowering effect. The brothers are tested the following week when a friend comes over with a jar of gummy worms. Like the marshmallow, the jar of gummy worms takes up the double-page spread. Again, Pete cannot resist the temptation of the treat (his arm takes on gargantuan proportions as he reaches in), but Dell is able once again to wait for the higher-value ice cream treat. Pete asks Dell how he’s able to resist, and Dell shares some strategies that hopefully will equip both Pete and young readers with some research-backed tools that help children delay gratification. The aftermatter further explains the history of the Marshmallow Test, expands on the strategies touched on in the narrative, and provides additional strategies for caregivers to use with kids. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 67% of actual size.)

A solid conversation starter on topics of self-control.