Oliver Jeffers is a favorite author/illustrator in our household. The ridiculous adventures that his characters find themselves in make us laugh while stretching our imaginations. At the top of our Oliver Jeffers list is the picture book, Stuck
Stuck begins with a boy named Floyd who gets his kite stuck in a tree. The rest of the story is Floyd’s hilarious effort to retrieve the kite. He throws everything up into the tree to retrieve his beloved kite. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. First his shoe is tossed into the tree. Then his other shoe follows. In a few pages, a whale, a house, and even a fire truck get launched into tree’s branches in a desperate attempt to bring a lost thing home. And one by one the items that are thrown at the tree get stuck…
Until finally…(Spoiler alert!)
The kite is set free!
During each reading of this picture book with my boys, I become uneasy about Floyd’s actions. He is being relentlessly and ridiculously reckless. Floyd is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish what he set out to do. He sets in motion a series of events to bring freedom to his kite that is stuck.
As I read about Floyd’s antics, I catch myself thinking, “This is simply nonsense. How could Floyd be so reckless?”
And yet in those uneasy moments, I am also reminded of a few stories that Jesus told concerning lost things that needed to be found. A shepherd left his flock behind to seek out one lost sheep. A woman flipped tables and moved chairs to find one lost coin. A father planted himself on his front porch waiting for a son that he wasn’t sure would ever come home. Relentless. Ridiculous. Reckless.
Wow.
That is what God’s love for us looks like. His love is relentless: it never stops. His love is ridiculous: it doesn’t make sense to us. His love is reckless: it acts in spite of the known consequences. And yet, unlike Floyd (who was very forgetful through the story), God knew exactly what he was doing. He was willing to do whatever it took to free us.
These words from the chorus of Bethel music’s song, “Reckless Love” speak the same truth:
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ‘til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
I am always looking for books that point my family to a bigger picture of God’s love. Stuck gives me a chance to point out to my kids the Divine Comedy that we are a part of.
Tyler and his wife live in small town Indiana where they are raising three action heroes of their own. He now knows the true Hero of the Story who conquered evil once and for all.
Tyler also writes about story, faith, and parenting at storyslant.com
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We just got this book from our library a few weeks back because, like you, we all love peeking into the imagination of Oliver Jeffers around here. After the first reading my kids all loved this story but I was less impressed: It seemed just foolish and don’t kids have enough exposure to foolishness? But oh, this is actually such an excellent way to read this story! Thank you for opening my eyes to see this story in light of The Story! I cannot wait to check it back out and reread it. I know my kids won’t mind either. Thanks, Tyler! Thanks, Story Warren!