Ruby's Sword by Jacqueline Véissid illustrated by Paola Zakimi

Ruby would love to play with her two brothers but they keep either ignoring or rebuffing her. Then she finds three sword shaped sticks in the grass. 

"I found dragon fighting swords!' she announced. Her brothers jumped down to take a closer look. Ruby granted them each a sword."

Two swords, two boys - Ruby is excluded again so she sets off to make her own games. With her trusty sword she spears some apples from a tall tree and then she fights against the wind and rumbling clouds. She catches a wind blown sheet off the clothes line and builds a tent. Her brothers arrive to see what she is doing. Can they play too? Ruby is not sure. Click Clack was all they heard. The boys head off and return with some "honourable offerings of twigs, rocks and dandelions" and the three children begin a wonderful game of knights and castles.

Zakimi’s beautifully illustrated double-page spreads capture Ruby’s bouncy bob, the anger in her eyes, and the windy, leaf-strewing storm. Kirkus

This is a wonderful book to share with young children about relationships between siblings and more importantly about imaginative play. It might inspire you to go outside and hunt for sword sticks for your own game of knight, dragons and castles. I have a Pinterest of picture books about using your imagination. Ruby's Sword was published in 2019 and while it is available here in Australia it is quite expensive which is very disappointing. Update I did find a discount book seller (11th April 2023) with copies for just AUS$15 but you would need to act quickly. 

Take a look inside Ruby's Sword. Here is the image under the dust jacket - I do love books where removing the dust jacket reveals a surprise.

Here are some quotes from Happily Ever Elephants about imaginative play:

Kids learn empathy by taking on new personas and stepping into another’s shoes. They explore scary situations while nestled in safe spaces. They experiment with language when they act as parents or teachers, or, even better, when they make up their own languages while pretending to be animals or fairies. They even learn to problem solve when they determine how build a castle or how to perfect a jump shot high enough to knock down a star.

So often, we underestimate the power of play. Yet it is play – pretend play, imaginative play, playing “make-believe” – that helps our children make sense of their worlds. Kids learn not just by doing, but by imagining.

Ruby's Sword is a debut picture book by US Author Jacquelin Véissid. The illustrations are by Paola Zakimi comes from Argentina.  She also illustrated Teddy and Co. by Cynthia Voigt - please note very sadly this book is not available in Australia. I am not sure why. 

Stanley's stick by John Hegley illustrated by Neil Layton

A stick can be .... a whistle, a banana, a match, or even a stickosaurus. 

A stick can be a fishing rod to share with a friend - this is my favourite page.

We see Stanley enjoying his stick and all the games of his wonderful imagination but then something rather surprising happens. On the family holiday to the seaside Stanley walks down to the edge of the water.

"Maybe the boy thinks it is time for the stick to be taken for someone else to enjoy? 
Stanley hurls his stick into the wide tide.
Gosh.
What a tiny splosh for something that has been so big in Stanley's days."

Now Stanley is stickless but not for long. Stanley walks along the beach looking at the treasures that have washed up on the shoreline. He finds a different stick.

A stick can be a saxophone, a telescope, a fantastick!

The review from The Times is quoted on the cover: I agree with the reviewer who says this book is  "everything a picture book should be."

Stanley's stick was first published in 2012 but it is still available in paperback. Here is an excellent video of the whole book. Here are some other books illustrated by Neil Layton.

If you want a gorgeously delicious, funny and charming slice of inspiration then look no further than Stanley’s Stick by John Hegley,illustrated by Neal Layton. Playing by the Book

John Hegley is a poet and the language of this book certainly shows his love of words:

"And four times now he has used it to pick up slugs from the pathway, platform and pavement, thus saving them from a fate worse than feet."

Look at all these words that start with S

"So here is Stanley standing on the station taking his stick for a short stay at the side of the sea with his mum and dad. ... Down at the sea Stanley goes down to the side of the tide. His folks take stock of Stanley standing in the sand, stick in hand. What is he doing?"

"The sea picks up the stick and tucks it into itself."

Here are some other books about sticks and imaginative play: