Stuck
by Oliver Jeffers
Philomel Books, New York, 2011. 36 pages.
Starred Review
2011 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #2 Picture Books
Reading this picture book made me laugh out loud, and then, of course, try to get everyone around me to read it.
“It all began when Floyd’s kite became stuck in a tree. He tried pulling and swinging, but it wouldn’t come unstuck.
“The trouble
- REALLY
began when he threw his FAVORITE SHOE to knock the kite loose. . .
“. . . and THAT got stuck too!”
Floyd throws more and more things up in the tree. The pictures help make the predicament hilarious. And there are some surprising reflections: “Cats get stuck in trees all the time, but this was getting ridiculous.”
There are a couple of times we think he’s doing something constructive, like fetching a ladder.
“. . . and up he threw it.
“I’m sure you can guess what happened.”
Floyd throws more and more things into the tree, getting bigger and more ridiculous things all along the way. My favorite one is “A curious whale in THE WRONG PLACE at THE WRONG TIME to knock down the lighthouse…”
The pictures remind me very much of the video game where you collect things by rolling over them as progressively bigger things get stuck.
Well, this is another book I don’t want to say too much and ruin it for you. Me telling you the story isn’t nearly as funny as the words and pictures of this book discovered together. Anybody who’s old enough to ever have gotten something stuck in a tree will enjoy this book.
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Picture_Books/stuck.html
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.
Source: This review is based on a library book from the Fairfax County Public Library.