Stuck! by Charlotte Calder and Mark Jackson

Walker Books, 2009. ISBN 9781921150463.
Picture book, Ages 4-6. A charming story of a kite getting stuck in a tree will have kids laughing out loud as they watch and enjoy the antics of the family and friends trying different methods of getting the kite down. Sticks, a boomerang, a rock, a cricket bat amongst other things are thrown up at the kite, but all fail to dislodge the toy. By the time everyone has tried their luck, the tree is full of the things thrown. In the end the cat races up the tree following a bird, and dislodges all the things so that everything falls back down. But of course, now the cat is stuck.
A warm picture book, with delightful illustrations, this book will find a place in school libraries and classrooms as it shows children trying things out for themselves, solving a problem they have. The clever illustrations which use graphite and water colour, show different perspectives, which could be discussed with the students. Sometime the picture is of a view looking up at the tree, sometimes the view is from the tree to the ground, giving quite a different view of the children.
Fran Knight