Author & Illustrator: Oliver Jeffers
Genre: Picture Book, Children's Book, Read Aloud
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date: October 10, 2011
Length: 32 pages
I own this book, I love this book, I have gifted this book many times
From the illustrator of the #1 smash The Day the Crayons Quit comes another bestseller--a giggle-inducing tale of everything tossed, thrown, and hurled in order to free a kite!
When Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he's determined to get it out. But how? Well, by knocking it down with his shoe, of course. But strangely enough, it too gets stuck. And the only logical course of action . . . is to throw his other shoe. Only now it's stuck! Surely there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. An orangutan? A boat? His front door? Yes, yes, and yes. And that's only the beginning. Stuck is Oliver Jeffers' most absurdly funny story since The Incredible Book-Eating Boy. Childlike in concept and vibrantly illustrated as only Oliver Jeffers could, here is a picture book worth rescuing from any tree.
Description from Goodreads
I love Oliver Jeffers with a deep and abiding love. I love the whimsy, fun, and thoughtfulness of his stories and illustrations. I love that they are great read alouds for a class, but also lovely books to snuggle with your kids and read to them as they explore the pictures. This was one of my son's favorite books when he was little and I loved reading it to him. The only downside of Stuck was that the first Christmas after discovering the book. He threw everything into the Christmas tree. We even had a few toys that resembled items from the story, so we were fishing out shoes, trucks, and toy animals.
What I liked
The story: Jeffers still tells a wonderfully funny story that will have kids and adults giggling. Kids get a bit concerned that he threw a cat in the tree, but by the time you get to the rhino, their marveling over Floyd's Superman like strength. My first graders really got into this one and your kids will too. After seeing Floyd throw a ladder and then a saw into the tree, one little boy declared, "He is not thinking this thing through!"
The illustrations: The illustrations are Jeffers' usual detailed and whimsical work, but a more scribbly style that gives the entire book an impromptu feel. There's still some funny details in his mixed media illustrations and the style fits the absurdity of the story.
A great read aloud: This story is a great one for reading to a group. While some of the illustration details are best seen when reading one on one, they are very easy to point out to a class. I've had parents worry that they aren't "good" at reading stories to their kids. This just means they haven't figured out their read aloud style yet. The nice thing about this book is that it's so easy to get into the stories groove that even the most reluctant reader can turn this into an engaging story time. Stuck also lends itself well to a variety of activities so it's a great one for teachers or home schoolers.
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| Stuck by Oliver Jeffers |
What I'm on the fence about
The text "font": I do think the handwritten text, a mix of print and cursive as well as upper and lower case, might challenge readers who haven't yet mastered cursive writing.Rating: 100!!
Visually a bit different from his usual, Stuck is still a fabulously funny and original story from Oliver Jeffers. This one is so fun to share, I highly recommend that you run to the nearest library or bookstore to check it out.Currently Stuck is part of the Khol's Cares collection. They have smaller hardback copies of several Jeffers' books and related stuffed animals. (I'm very proud that so far I've stuck to just buying the books to add to birthday gifts and have not yet brought home the Penguin.)
Do you have picture book or children's author that really captured your (or your kids') imaginations? I have found that many of the books I loved as a kid my own children don't care for because we wanted completely different things at that age. I really liked examining pictures, so Richard Scarry's Busy Town and the Anno's Journey type books were great for me. So-so story, but great pictures. Neither of my kids really care to spend their free time perusing illustrations. They want a story that they can turn into a game or imaginative play. I just love it when I find a book that we all enjoy.
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