Stick and Stone

Book:  Stick and Stone (Book Link)
Author: Beth Ferry (Author Link)
Illustrator: Tom Litchtenheld (Illustrator Link)
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing
Date of Publication: 2015
Genre: Picture Book, Written in the last 4 years, Diverse Protagonists
Lexile Score: 250L
Citation: Ferry, B. (2015). Stick and Stone. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Summary: The two main characters Stick and Stone were both alone with no friends, until a bully comes along.  The Pinecone bully is mean to Stone, which leads Stick to stand up for him.  This leads to a great friendship when they realize they can rely on each other.  However it wasn’t long before they faced another struggle when a storm hit.  The storm left Stick and Stone separated and alone again. Stone was able to persevere and in the end found Stick and their friendship resumed.

Audience:  I would say this book would be targeted at either kindergarten or first grade.  Even though it is a very simple book it still has a great message.  I think it could be used to introduce the concepts of friendship and bullying.  With the simple story line younger children would be able to follow along easily.  I think they would also enjoy the book because it has cute illustrations that are unique, instead of using people it uses other items.

Evaluation:  This picture book had appealing characteristics.  In the text Norton explains the enhancement rhyming can have in a picture book.  In Stick and Stone the author uses rhyme, while incorporating puns to keep the audience interested.  The characters also enhance the mood of the story.  It is easy to see when the characters are upset, and when they are happy.  Since this is targeted at a younger audience, the characters showcasing mood is a great attribute.  I think this book is also an example of multicultural literature.  Even though there are not human characters in the book it is still able to showcase, "knowledge of cross-cultural communication strategies."  The book chooses three very different characters by choosing a Stone, Stick, and Pinecone.  Therefore they show that these different items can form friendships with each other.  The author could have chosen two stones to become friends, but he did not.

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