ROBIN AND THE STICK

Robin and the Stick by E.B. Goodale

Do you have a child that collects sticks everywhere they go? This sweet, little picture book celebrates two things: the love children have for sticks and how quickly they grow up.

Robin is a little boy that always has a stick. Wherever he goes, he looks for the next stick to add to his collection. That is until he comes across a stick that's too big for him to collect. His mom tells him it's not a stick, but a branch. Now Robin checks each day to see if he can finally pick up the branch. Sound like any child(ren) you know?

I love this picture book for multiple reasons, but the biggest one is that it focuses on the simple things that children are so often enamored with when they're little. As I'm writing this, I'm chuckling. Recently, my homeschool co-op's art class for the youngest age group worked on nature collages. Each child was given a brown paper bag and sent outdoors to collect items of interest in nature. Passing by their bags later, I couldn't get over all the sticks sticking out of the bags. It was awesome, and it brought home to me just how true this little book is!

I've got to spend a moment talking about the illustrations.. They are black and white, simple drawings but oh so fun! Only one additional color can be found-red, and that's only on Robin's jacket. This helps to bring him into focus immediately every time the page is turned. After all, he is the star of the show.