Life is full of surprises!!! Just as you believe your life to
be moving in a known direction, an unexpected turn of events can leave you bewildered
and unsettled until you come to terms with the change! Owing to a sudden hectic turn of events on
the personal front, I have been missing on the blogosphere and its now been
more than a month since my last post on Onestoryaday
! But as the saying goes ….the only
thing constant in life is change and you learn to adapt and move on….. so here
I am...just in time for its anniversary month! Anyway, now that I got down to revisit my long lost sharing space
afforded by blogger, let me straightaway get down to the business of books…..children’s
books that I’ve been reading…not just for Abhay!:-)
Not very often you come across a book that speaks to not just
the kids but also the parents reading to them. One such book that I happen to
stumble upon at the British Library is “Stanley’s
Stick” by John Hegley and illustrated
by Neal Layton. Described as capturing “the freewheeling expressiveness of
childhood” and touted as “everything a picture book should be”, this is a story of
a boy named Stanley who has a fetish for a stick that he always carries with
him. Stanley’s stick was once a part of
a majestic tree that Stanley wistfully remembers finding it lying on the ground. Nevertheless
Stanley is happy to have a part of something tall and grand and indulges in
pretend play of all kinds with his stick! He pretends to use the stick as a
whistle, or as match stick all set to light the torch of world games, or his
stick becomes “stickosauraus”, a dinosaur not yet extinct!:-) Stanley also
managed to rope his friend into joining and they both are seen pretend-fishing
with a string attached to his stick…..with the best part being that no fish getting
hurt with his stick-fishing! But Stanley had never been able to find an
appropriate name for his favourite inanimate companion! For instance, Stirry
sounded nice but much more appropriate for a spoon rather than a stick! Once
Stanley goes on a beach vacation with his parents and there’s no better company
than his stick to scrawl on sand in a languages understood by only Stanley and
his stick. As he nears the shore, Stanley is seen in a pensive mood, looking
out in the direction of the sea …. As his parents take stock of the situation
of what is Stanley about to do, Stanley hurls his stick into the sea, surprised
to what a tiny splosh it makes for something that was so big in his life, while
his parents wonder if he is upset now that Stanley is now stickless!!! The next morning,
as the tide is out, Stanley decides to look for other sticks or twigs when he
chances upon a twisty stick that is
different from the one he had before! Suddenly, Stanley’s bewitched ….and he soon
discovers numerous ways of playing with his new twisty stick! Besides….it was
easier than before to arrive at a name for his new found favourite – fantastick!!!
Well….the book ends with a reflective tone…..Stanley’s fantastic, to which we
add…so is his story…..isnt it??
This book not only makes a delightful read but
also works on so many different levels, that leaves a feel-good effect each
time one reads it! Beautifully worded, charmingly illustrated, “Stanley’s stick”
is not only a tribute to children's imagination but also offers a philosophical perspective to life and conveys a subtle message that lends itself into different meanings at different
phases of one’s growing up! So it goes without saying….Stanley’s Stick is definitely
for keeps…..as you may want to revisit this book later…to see if you have moved
on with the change just as Stanley has!!