Stick!

by Andy Pritchett

Puppy loves his new stick. He wants to play! Now he just needs someone to play with.

Puppy is thrilled when he discovers a stick just waiting to be tossed and chased. But Cow is more interested in grass, and Chicken is more interested in a worm. In fact, all of Puppy's friends are busy doing something besides playing with a stick. Poor Puppy! Finally, another equally enthusiastic canine comes along, and the rousing game of fetch that ensues is enough to inspire the entire barnyard to give the stick a chance. In bold, graphic spreads, Andy Pritchett's adorable animal cast enlivens a six-word story of friendship and play too sweet and simple to ignore.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Friendship, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2013

About the author

Andy Pritchett’s favorite thing is a pencil, which is like a stick but smaller. Some of his other favorite things are eating cake and sharing a house with his girlfriend and a very noisy cat. This is his first picture book. He lives in Norfolk, England.

Reviews

[Donna]

STICK Who would've thought a book with so few words could be so "full"! :) Andy Pritchett has perfectly blended words with illustrations in this adorably charming book, clearly from the animals' perspectives. A must-read! And NO one can claim they don't have time to read THIS one! lol

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

With deceptively simple illustrations, Pritchett manages to convey a surprising amount of energy and activity. He really nails the idea of a puppy with a stick who wants to play.

Library copy

[Beth Bacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So simple, so fun! Love the way that this book uses the dimensions of the pages to help convey the motion of the stick. The dog wants to play fetch, and in the end, gets what he really wants all along: friends.

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary
Puppy finds a stick and tries to find a playmate who is interested in playing with the stick with him. I really loved this book! It is very spare but conveys the whole story very eloquently.

The Good
The drawings are simple and expressive. Very few words make it accessible to all ages.


Recommended for
Younger children because it really is a picture book! Very sweet illustrations as Puppy tries to find a playmate as interested in the stick as he is.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little story of finding a friend.
The illustrations are bright and energetic, and the dialogue very simple. It's a good read for very young ones (I think there were about 6 words used altogether) and could be a good one-on-one read with a little bit older. The simple story and dialogue give a lot of space for kids to fill in the story themselves.
Good pick for a storytime theme on dogs or friends.

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Puppy has a stick (holding it in his paw instead of carrying it in his mouth like a normal dog) and wants to play. "Stick?" says Puppy to the cow. "Grass," says the cow. He asks a few other farm animals.
Not finding anyone to play with, Puppy throws the stick away... but another puppy throws it back! They start a game and the other animals join in. The puppies become friends.

This is a simple story (told in one-word per page) and the illustrations are very simple cartoons. It was OK.

[Portable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This simple but gorgeous story book manages to convey the hope and power of friendship in just six words. A puppy has found a stick, and wants a friend to play with, but the other animals are more interested in other things. But the puppy keeps going until he finds a like-minded companion, and then the fun begins. Very popular storytime read with our children.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book with few words (but paper pages, so be careful). A dog wants to play with a stick, but the other animals are doing their own thing. And then a friend arrives and everyone sees how much fun a stick can be. Cheerful, simple pages, and a nice resolution.

In the Very Young section of the library.

[Amanda Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4 year old is obsessed with book!
He wants to read it multiple times over every day, and even when we’re out on a walk or at the park, he’ll find a stick and start quoting the whole book verbatim.
The story and art are simple, but so adorable and expressive.
He and I both are hoping to see more by Andy Pritchett get published soon!

[Jodie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with very little words but very rich meaning. Shows how not everyone is always into the same things as others and explains how people can still learn to get along. Definitely a book about friendship. For very young children.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary and up picture book about a girl and her brother running errands where she is telling everyone to meet her in the park that night for something magical. Will anyone show and what could the magic in the sky be?

[Lianne Goates · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book with very little words. This could be a good book to show to KS1 children and ask them to come up with the words to go with the pictures. A good book to talk about friendship with young children.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that uses one word throughout the entire story. But the pictures are meaningful and adorable. My 3-year-old absolutely loves this book and she's had to read it at least twice every night for the past week. She just can't get enough.

[Carol Farrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very enjoyable and adorable book about a dog. Most children like dogs so it is a great format to disguise a story about making friends. It is quick and simple so will keep the interest of the youngest children.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it! Simple, bold, tells a story that little ones will understand. Plus, the absence of lots of words allows children to create their own sub-story.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story told in pictures with a few words. I'd describe it as cute, but not engaging.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't get this book

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't like books without a story.

[Gia Bittner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not our favorite!

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cerita sederhana tapi cute tentang mencari bestie ;)

[Gervy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very simple but effective tale about the importance of finding friends who actually share your interest in stick-fetching... With very simple text, my preschooler enjoyed being able to "read" (from memory & visual clues) this book.

[Joella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little dog finds a stick. He is so, SO excited. So when he sees a cow he says, “Stick?” To which the cow replies, “Grass!” Off the dog goes to find another animal and ask if they want to play. But alas, all the other animals are too busy with other things. Soon the dog is very sad that nobody will play with him. In his frustration (illustrated by a black rain cloud in his thought bubble) he throws the stick away. But then it comes back. Another dog has come and wants to play. The two dogs have a grand old time. And pretty soon all the rest of the animals realize just how fun a stick can be.

This is a brilliant book. Absolutely brilliant. I love how the illustrations are simple. For example, the dog’s head is a square shape with two small dots for eyes, one large oval for a nose, and two floppy ears that are all kinds of shapes depending upon the mood of the dog. I love how because the illustrations are limited, there is obviously only the most important parts drawn. Meaning that without buckets of grass or trees in the background, kids will narrow in on the actions of the animals in the story. Which is perfect seeing how there are only a few words total in the whole book…usually just one on each page. With such a small amount of text youngsters really have to focus on what is happening and will discern that from those illustrations. The fact that each page is clean other than the obvious important bits allows kids to think through what is happening and sharpen their narrative skills. (Thank you, Mr. Pritchett for giving me a new great book to use in story time to help parents understand just how to get kids to practice narrating a story–love it!)

Seriously, this book was a joy to read (even though any youngster who is learning how to read could probably read the book to you because there isn’t all that much text). In fact, when my preschool-aged nephew and I read it together he couldn’t stop laughing and repeating the various ways I said each word on each page. (Talk about a great moment to explain how various punctuation marks “!” or “?” could change the way we say a word and change the meaning.) And the best part was that my nephew couldn’t stop laughing while we were reading it. Well done, Mr. Pritchett. Well done!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This sweet, little book is bright, fun and mostly wordless, depicting the story of an adorable puppy who happens upon a simple stick and goes off in search of someone who will play with him and his exciting new toy. Eager with anticipation, puppy invites a series of animal friends to play with him. “Stick?” he asks the cow, “Grass” the cow says, “Stick?” he asks the pig, “Mud,” the pig replies and so on until puppy is ready to give up and in a fit of dejection, tosses the stick away. To his surprise, the stick comes back, landing with a “clunk” right before his very eyes! How can this be? Another puppy is excited about the stick!! Hooray!! Both puppies begin to play with the stick, and as the other animals realize how much fun the stick really is, they all join in too! The puppies decide to be best friends and run off together in search of new adventures. This book is sure to delight young readers. Pritchett uses bright background colors, that work well with the bold and simple lines and shapes he uses to depict animals like the cow, the bird and the pig, that will be familiar to preschoolers—and the background colors serve a dual purpose, to help emphasize and underscore the puppy’s moods. Energetic preschoolers will certainly identify with the puppy’s frustration at not being able to find someone to play with, and Prichett’s puppy is surprising expressive despite being so simply drawn. When sharing this book with children, I would have them identify the animals on each page, I would have them share with me how they think puppy is feeling and tell how they know this. I would point to the word “stick” whenever it appears and have the children say the word with me, with different tones and inflections.

[Scot Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Pritchett
Stick is an early childhood book based on an anthropomorphic dog who wishes to play with a stick. The dog searches for a playmate but finds other animals interested in other things. Will the playful pup find a playmate?

The book had an easy to follow plot with simple words and repetition such as "stick"? Words corresponded with pictures to aid in a child's reading development. For example, the dog would ask a cow, "stick?", and the cow would reply "grass", and the book would introduce a picture of grass. The text, even though it was simple, created a desire to turn the page and see what happens next. This was done through the excitement and emotions in the text. Stick is a perfect book for the beginning reader with a simple plot a child can relate to. The illustrations complemented the text by showing pictures of newly introduced words. This aids a child's interpretation of the book. The book was interesting enough to encourage a child to read through the use of emotions and fun behavior. Sentences were simple and new words introduced along with illustrations to aid understanding. Adults would have fun reading this book to a child due to the emotions involved and actions in the illustrations.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stick! by Andy Pritchett is a book about a playful dog with a stick. He is looking to play with other animals but they are doing their own activities. Another dog finds him and they begin playing, the other animals play with them shortly afterwards.

This book is a good read for early childhood readers. The plot is easy to follow and only one word, with "stick" being the main one. It follows an easy rhythm and simplicity that would make a child understand it. The illustrations are colorful and drawn in a "cute" style, with the characters acting accordingly. The plot advances from one page to the next, with the dog carrying his stick to the next animal and asking them, "stick?". The one word per page and simple actions make this a good selection for a child who is either about to enter kindergarten or in pre-school. The subject matter does encourage the child to read since the animals are drawn well and the words are easy to read/understand. New words are added slowly, with a new word introduced after the character asks the supporting cast if they want to play. I don't think it's a good book for adults, but a great book for adults to read to their children.

[babyhippoface · Rating 4 out of 5]

One cute little doggie looks for a friend, but none of the other animals want to play with his stick. The cow just wants grass, the hen just wants worms, and the pig wants mud. Sad, the dog tosses the stick away, but he's surprised when it comes right back to him! Yep, there's another dog who likes the stick, and now, new friends have found each other.

The text is limited to one word per page (often just "stick"), so kids who are just beginning to sound out words will really love this one. Super cute, with super simple illustrations--which is a bonus, because kids can definitely draw the dogs in this book. (Even I could do it, so I know kids can.)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It was very simple, with only one word per page, if that, but the illustrations were excellent and the story was very good. I liked how the dog tried to get various animals to play "stick" with him, but they each preferred to do something more to their liking: the cow wanted to eat grass, the bird wanted to eat a worm, and the pig wanted to play in the mud. :)

I liked this story for the simplicity of it: via extremely limited text, it teaches small children basic facts about dogs, cows, birds and pigs. I also especially liked that in the end, the dog found a friend who would play "stick" with him: another dog! :)

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little dog is frustrated and depressed because of the animals he meets understand the greatness of his stick. Finally another little pup arrives who fully appreciates the stick. Together they have so much fun that cow, pig and chicken decided maybe a stick is worth playing with after all. The bold and colorful illustrations are simple yet eye-catching and make great use of the page. The minimal text that accompanies these bright pictures does a great job showing how a simple stick can bring about a great friendship.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is fun to one person, is not always fun to another, but playing together is always pleasant. To Dog, his favourite toy is his stick, a word which he repeats over and over. With each passing page, Dog meets a new animal, who enjoys their own activities. Like the words, the colours are simple, with solid backgrounds surrounding simply designed creatures. These backgrounds change for each animal, or to express certain feelings, like Dog's gloom. Everything about this book aims for the minimal, but to toddlers it will have a good amount of impact.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andy Pritchett’s little white dog is thrilled to find a stick. “STICK!” he exclaims on the title page. But he can’t play a game of Fetch the Stick all by himself. So “Stick?” he asks Cow—who isn’t interested. She wants “Grass!” Chicken wants a worm and Pig just wants mud. Dejected, Dog throws the stick away…but the stick comes flying back. Clunk! Someone else wants to play, and friends are made in the five-word picture book, STICK!

Originally published on http://mackinbooksinbloom.com/