"At first they brought back little stuff:
Two ornamental cuckoo clocks,
Four tiny socks,
And a pack of plastic pegs
(In shades of blue to match their eggs)."
On this Boxing Day, you will likely recognize the sentiment behind this book. Who doesn't have 'too much stuff' today? Meg and Ash certainly do. They are magpies determined to build a nest for their eggs - not just any nest, a perfect one! To do that, they must start with collecting.
Collect they do: mud, sticks, grass, and an old magazine to line it for comfort. The eggs are laid and safely tucked within its boundaries. As so many parents are wont to do, Meg and Ash begin to worry that they need more for their expected family. One always stays with the eggs, the other goes off in a search for more. Their ideas come from seeing the pictures on the magazine lining. There is so much more they need.
No matter how much they find, it never seems to be just the right amount. Their eggs are deserving of the effort they are making to provide a perfect home. There is no stopping them. Then, CRACK, and it all comes crashing down.
"The shiny bucket, and the lights
Came clattering down from the heights.
The fancy pram that they'd brought back,
Hit the ground with quite a smack.
Falling fast, the poor lost ted
Landed hard upon his head."
If you are an Emily Gravett fan, you will know the wonder of her picture books. The forest setting allows readers a chance to watch the magpies' many expressive and astonished friends as the gathering of 'stuff' becomes more and more cumbersome. It is a tale filled with humor, rhyme, and great delight for all. I haven't even mentioned the endpapers, or the book's cover (when you remove the paper cover to take a look). The STUFF magazine Ms. Gravett creates on the endpapers add even more fun, and a lesson in the four 'R's of recycling. Wow!
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