Stuck by Oliver Jeffers

This is a book that I bought for me! I simply couldn't resist Stuck when I came across it while browsing my favourite independent bookstore, Riverbend Books.

I have been an Oliver Jeffers fan since I first came across The Heart and the Bottle - an incredible book for older children that I'll discuss another time. There are some authors that you just love everything they do, and Oliver Jeffers is definitely in this category for me.

Stuck begins with Floyd getting his kite stuck in a tree. But the trouble begins when Floyd throws his favourite shoe at the kite and it gets stuck in the tree too. Floyd then tries, among other things, the milkman,  the family car and an orang utan - and they all get stuck too!

Stuck is definitely one that older children would enjoy, due to the ridiculous and hilarious approach that Floyd takes to getting his kite down. I particularly love the bit where he fetches a saw, lines it up, and then chucks it into the tree!

Like all of Jeffers' work, the illustrations are simply magnificent. I adore how expressive the illustrations are - I love the little storm cloud that appears above Floyd's face as his frustration builds when everything keeps getting stuck.

Parents will love this book. Although Maximilian definitely doesn't understand the humour yet, he does still enjoy the story - the repetitive use of the word "stuck" is particularly enjoyable for him and he loves to parrot me by repeating "stuck" as we read this book aloud.

Recommended for readers aged 3 and up, although Maximilian is proof that the book can be enjoyed from 18 months!

Maisy's Fire Engine by Lucy Cousins

Fire engines are big in our house right now!

Maximilian has several toy fire trucks and he learned to make a siren sound around a month ago and it is now one of his favourite sounds.So, when he found this board book in his book box recently, it was immediately a big hit.

Like all Maisy stories, this is simple and short - Maisy and Cyril are firefighters and when testing the fire hose Cyril wets little black cat. The cat then climbs onto the roof of the shed and Maisy climbs the ladder to rescue it.

Lucy Cousins' illustrations are bright, colourful and engaging and the short story and simple text make this a great book for the very young - there isn't enough content to interest older toddlers. The version we have is also the "shaped board book", which is nice for little hands to hold and easy to turn the pages.

As parents, we generally avoid branded character stories and shows, as we aren't fans of the way that everything is branded these days. I only bought this book as it was at a discount bookstore for $3.95 and I was looking for hardy board books to add to our collection.

Having said that, this is a great little book that Maximilian is really enjoying right now - as of yesterday his new word is "again" - so I read this story 4 times in a row this morning - "again", "again", "again"!! 

Ben & Duck by Sara Acton

Ben goes to the park to feed the ducks. One day, there is just one duck - one very large duck, that eats all of Ben's bread before following him up the path, through the gate, into a tree and home. The way the friendship develops between Ben and Duck throughout this book is delightful.


The illustrations throughout Ben & Duck are simply marvellous - gorgeous watercolours with an almost unfinished feel in muted colours that give the characters true warmth and life. It amazes me that such minimal illustrations can still give the characters such expressive faces - Sara Acton is truly talented. Because the illustrations are so muted in colour, they will be especially appreciated by older children and the adult reader - but the images are instantly recognisable for a 15-month old as well.

Ben & Duck was one of Maximilian's first favourite books. "Duck" was one of his first words, so he immediately loved to point to the pictures of duck throughout the story while saying "duck, duck, duck". When Duck comes to Ben's house, there is a picture of the front door with "tap, tap" written on it, and Maximilian also loves to knock on the page of the book while saying "tap, tap". It is really wonderful to see him engage with the story and language in this way, and our favourite picture books are the ones with opportunity for him to become part of the story - not surprising I guess when my favourite books are often ones that I can engage in some way with the story.

This would be a great addition to any storytime session with a duck or friendship theme and there are lots of duck themed crafts freely available. You could also use it as a "food" theme and discuss whether ducks would really eat spaghetti and bread and butter pudding - it would make a great story alongside The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Recommended for readers aged 1-5.

Squish Rabbit by Katherine Battersby

This is the simple and sweet tale of Squish Rabbit. Squish is just a little rabbit and being little can lead to big problems.

Squish often feels ignored and overlooked. He is lonely and makes a friend, but knows it isn't as good as the real thing. One day, when having a tantrum, Squish meets Squirrel and they become friends.

Although the story is very simple, young children would probably relate to Squish, particularly if they are feeling ignored or misunderstood by the grown ups in their world. Parents could also use Squish's tantrum as a starting point for a great discussion about dealing with big feelings - something that toddlers often struggle with.

The book itself is very well produced - the puffy cover and satin finish give the cover a wonderfully tactile feeling. The illustrations are simple, colourful and effective. The combination of collage and ink drawing is really attractive and the stylised Squish and Squirrel characters are very sweet.

We got Squish Rabbit when Maximilian was around 15 months old and he was just the right age to begin enjoying it straight away. I'd recommend this story for 12 months plus as there isn't enough to engage younger babies effectively, and it isn't available as a board book so younger babies can't engage with the physical book really either.

Katherine Battersby is a local Brisbane author and Squish Rabbit is her first book. Maximilian received Squish Rabbit as a gift from a dear friend and our copy is signed and inscribed by the author. I hope this will just be the first of many autographed books in Maximilian's book collection!

Whose Baby Am I? by John Butler

Whose Baby Am I? is a simple and engaging picture book for very young children.

The words are very basic - each baby animal picture is captioned "whose baby am I?" and the following page has an image of the parent animal with the caption "I am x's baby".

The charm of this book lies in the absolutely delightful illustrations of baby animals and their parents. The pictures really are gorgeous and Maximilian loves to touch and stroke them because they look so good!!

Although the words are extremely simple, they can be used as a jumping off point for further discussion with older toddlers. For example, "that's Owl's baby. What noise does owl make?" The back of the book also includes a double page "Can you guess whose baby is whose?" for the child to match up the baby and parent animals and a page which names the baby animals, ie owlet, calf, etc.

We enjoy this book regularly but it probably doesn't have enough content for long lasting value - but is often Maximilian's choice at the moment (at 19 months of age). However, if you enjoy gorgeous illustrations it is definitely worth a look.

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox and Judy Horacek

This is a terrific book by veteran children's author Mem Fox with colourful, cute, quirky illustrations by Judy Horacek.

The simple, repetitive text makes this a great read aloud book to be enjoyed by children of all ages. The short story makes this book a good choice for sharing with very young children - Maximilian has been enjoying this book since around six months age and now, at 19 months, enjoys it just as much, as does my 3 year old nephew.

It would also be a great book for learning to read. When looking into it, I was fascinated to discover that this book has 190 words - 188 have one syllable, 1 word has two syllables and 1 word has 3 syllables - perfect for teaching words and reading skills to young children. This simplicity can be the secret of success in a picture book and certainly is in this case.


The illustrations are just fabulous and reward multiple reads, which is always a joy since reading the same book hundreds of times on request can get tiresome :-) We've been reading this book for more than a year now and it is still a rewarding pleasure to read each time. We still find new things to talk about and the book continues to teach Maximilian new words and concepts - for example, he loves to say "Wheeee!" for the slide sheep! I also love that he now knows what's coming, so when we get to "Turn the page quietly, let's take a peep", Maximilian already puts his finger to his lips and says "Shhh".

We have the small board book version but it is also available as a traditional sized soft page or board book (and the fabulous illustrations would reward the larger format).


Mem Fox has written an amazing number of children's books, including classics like Possum Magic and Koala Lou, won multiple book awards and is also a passionate advocate of reading to children - her book Reading Magic has wonderful tips on how and why to read aloud and how to choose books. Also check out her website for heaps of great information, including the fascinating and hilarious story of writing Where is the Green Sheep? !