Review: Bottle and Stick by Jennifer Stephens

 

BOTTLE AND STICK

by Jennifer Stephens

Illustrated by Vanessa Alexandre

Mascot Books

Picture Book

ages 4 to 8

The first day of school can be scary. Especially after Pencil, Eraser, and Scissors warn Bottle and Stick about being twisted, squeezed, dried up, and wasted!

Will these two school supplies approach this new experience with fear, or will they decide to be brave and stick together? After all, anything is possible when you have a friend by your side!

MASCOT BOOKS  /    AMAZON    /    B&N

BOOK BLINK

                                 

                                   * directed toward use of glue, especially in classrooms and groups

                                   * super cute tale

                                   * nice illustrations

                                   * characters to hug

MY TIDBITS

Through a cute tale, which draws sympathy and smiles, these pages explain how to handle glue containers in a not so messy way.

Stick and Bottle (glue) are about to start school and are excited to attend a party before their first day. But there, they overhear several rumors, which make them more than a little bit nervous. Lost caps, squeezed until damaged, twirled until dizzy...but they are determined to have fun and stick it out together. 

This is a book with a clear purpose—the proper use of glue. Now, I was concerned that this one might be too preachy and miss the fun, but it doesn't. Stick and Bottle are a jolly pair, who are actually really easy to identify with. The author does a great job at giving them personalities, which connect with the listeners and a true-blue friendship. It's hard not to feel nervous with them as they overhear the horrible rumors and impossible not to wonder if everything will work out okay. Yep, I actually cared what happened to these two. So, kudos to the author on accomplishing that.

The illustrations are bright, simple and fun to gaze at, while the text flows (for the most part) well along. There were a few pages, which held more text than I usually prefer in picture books, but the way it was written kept it from bogging down. In other words, it is an exciting enough tale to keep the listener's attention and keep them wondering what will happen to the two heroes. 

I can recommend this one for classroom and groups as a read aloud. It works for individuals, too, but the setting definitely slides more towards a group.