Stuck, by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is a well-known and well-loved author-strator, and because of this I would often bring his books home from the library with great expectations and anticipation. I guess perhaps I had built them up too much, because none of them really won me over in a big way. I did like them, but when it was time to return them to the library I wasn’t upset or wanting to renew. It wasn’t until ‘Stuck’ that I finally fell in love with one of his books.

The difference might have been our first reading of this book. We managed to borrow a copy of this book that had an audio CD of Terence Stamp reading the text, and we listened to it in the car on the way home from the library. That meant that I was driving and unable to look at the pictures. For some reason I got hooked on the story and this made me super keen to read it to the kids. I was eager to see what Floyd looked like and how his story progressed with visual aids.

For some reason the book didn’t make it into our house for a few days. And so every time we were in the car we listened to the story again and again. But every time I loved it, and reflecting back now, after having it out several times from the library, I think I know why that is.

Initially I was struck by the way Floyd behaves and seeks solutions to his problem. It reminded me so much of how my own small children might go about fixing things. There was a certain innocence and determination, that I had witnessed in my kids’ actions, that fascinated me. Floyd seems to be in a stage in the learning process that you know will end, that is super cute and leads to some really sweet moments. I talking about those moments when you see your child try to fix a problem with a solution that you know is never going to work, but on their level is completely rational. So you let them try it and it fails – but they learn.

I now, also, see in this children’s book an important lesson for adults. Many of us get fixated on a certain way of doing things and we just can’t break away and try something new or different. We get stuck in a rut of our own making, not realising that we have the tools to make real change when they are in our hands.

I suppose this book is so appealing to children is because of the great illustrations, the silly things Floyd does and the funny ending. But for adults, I guess it’s because it reflects a certain level of truth about life.

You can listen to the first minute of Terence Stamp reading ‘Stuck’ here.