We're Stuck by Sue DeGennaro

We are stuck! Where are we stuck? Why are we stuck?

Building 24 (my favourite number) has five floors all accessed by a central lift or perhaps you call this an elevator. Turtle lives on the top floor. His mum gives him a list - it is important. Turtle races out the door and jumps into the lift. As it travels down, the lift fills up with a delightful assortment of residents. The lift space soon becomes very squashy. Then the lights go out and the lift is stuck.

"I have a meeting to go to."
"I have a shop to open."
"I need to get to the hairdresser."

Look at these concerns - they all begin with "I".

It is our little hero Turtle who turns all of this around. He starts to cry and everyone looks at his list.

Today is his birthday.

Crocodile has a plastic glove - she turns it into a balloon.
Hippo grabs a newspaper and folds a set of paper hats.
Pelican has a delicious treat in his lunch box.

"And in Building 24, on the busy side of town, nothing was ever the same again."

There are not very many books on the CBCA Early Childhood Notables list this year that I truly like but We're Stuck is one exception. I especially love the first page where you need to turn the book lengthwise to see the whole building and I also like the variety of work wear worn by the animals characters who reside in this building and ride the lift.  Here is a set of excellent teachers notes from the publisher.

I have a horror of being stuck in a lift, especially a crowded one but this group of animal passengers in Building 24 work out a way to bring real joy to this very stressful situation. This is a perfect book to share with a young child aged 3+ and it poses the wonderful question - just what was written on that list?