Stuck by Oliver
Jeffers
I’ve recently been dipping my toes in a lot
more children’s fiction, mainly because I want to write it. I think I saw Stuck
on the front page of The Book Depository one day and that was the beginning of
my great admiration for Oliver Jeffers.
Stuck is about a boy named Floyd who gets his
kite stuck in a tree and his efforts to get it unstuck. Basically, Floyd has
one philosophy and one philosophy only – the only way he can get his kite
unstuck from the tree is to throw things at the kite to knock it down. The
concept is wonderful, not because everything he throws up there gets stuck with
the kite, but because (spoiler alert) Floyd’s logic works.
What I appreciate the most is the
illustrations. Oliver Jeffers’ style is indescribably enjoyable in my book. I absolutely
love his art in every way – from the tree, to buildings, animals, and the
facial expressions of people (e.g. Floyd’s sticky out tongue face and eyebrows)
– it’s brilliant and simple and perfect. Another charming aspect is all of the
words of the story are hand-written by Jeffers. It has this air of childish
sophistication that looks like it’s been written by an 11 year old boy who’s
been learning cursive for maybe a month or two (but forgets after every couple
of letters what cursive is).
It’s cute, it’s funny, it’s beautiful and it’s
perfect for adults and children alike. Definitely deserving of 5 stars.
