Oliver Jeffers; HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2011

Outrageously silly, Stuck makes the adults and children in my house laugh read after read. The first page sets up the story brilliantly: “It all began when Floyd got his kite stuck in a tree”. However, the reader has no idea what ‘all’ could possibly include until they begin turning the pages. Freeing the kite proved to be challenging, because everything that Floyd threw up the tree to knock it down got stuck too! Floyd hurled up everything from the cat, kitchen sink, and a whale that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There are some even crazier items that Floyd threw up the tree, but I’ll remain silent on those so as not to spoil the surprises. Finally, and miraculously, the kite became unstuck, and Floyd returns to enjoying the rest of his day. The ‘wink to the reader’ on the final pages is one of the cutest I’ve seen. Coupled with Oliver Jeffers’ trademark handwriting and cartoon-like drawings, this picture book may be a number of years old but it’s a great one start your 2017 reading list.