Stuff

by Margie Palatini, Noah Z. Jones (Illustrator)

Overview

Edward loves his Stuff more than anything . . .

. . . until he gets buried beneath it.

Edward has a lot of Stuff—too much Stuff. Soon the Stuff takes over his house. But will Edward agree to part with his Stuff before it’s too late?

Stuff is Margie Palatini and Noah Z. Jones’s hilarious story about the stuff that counts and the stuff that’s just, well, . . . Stuff.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061719219
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/20/2011
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Margie Palatini is the author of many outrageously funny books for children, including Piggie Pie!, illustrated by Howard Fine; Moosetache, Mooseltoe, and the Bad Boys series, all illustrated by Henry Cole; The Cheese, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher; No Biting, Louise, illustrated by Matthew Reinhart; and Gorgonzola, illustrated by Tim Bowers. She lives with her family in New Jersey.

Noah Z. Jones is an author, illustrator, and animator. He has illustrated numerous books for children, including Not Norman by Kelly Bennett and Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. Noah lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.

Editorial Reviews

Edward, a bunny who is more interested in his "stuff" than his friends, isn't far from a Hoarders-style intervention—his house is packed with outdated calendars, toys, hideous lamps, and other miscellany. Edward's friends try to get him to pare down and come outside ("Come out of that stuffy house!" says his friend Marguerite, a cat) to no avail. The story unfolds clearly through Palatini's (Hogg, Hogg, & Hog) wordplay and economical storytelling, while Jones (Always in Trouble) adds plenty of humorous details to keep readers poring over the minutiae: one box contains "sneakers and fish heads"; a shelf groans under the weight of bowling balls, a safe, and a fridge; and Edward even has a box of tangled yo-yos stored away. It's not until a passing truck causes a stuffquake, trapping Edward inside and necessitating a rescue, that he has a change of heart. Not many children need convincing that playing with friends is better than gazing lovingly at one's possessions, but for those who do, this is a lighthearted nudge in the right direction. Ages 4–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Children will enjoy pouring over the detail on these pages—only Edward would keep a box of tangled yo-yos, old stinky sneakers, and fish heads. Give this book to your favorite collector and they might just start purging.

ALA Booklist

Children can be hoarders too, as we learn from this tale of Edward and his "stuff." The young rabbit has so much of it that it fills up his house and takes up all his time. When a truck rumbles down the street, it shakes Edward's house and causes all his belongings to shift, trapping him in the midst of them—rather like what happened to the infamous hoarders Homer and Langley Collyer of New York City. Luckily, Edward's tale has a happier ending. His animal friends Anthony and Marguerite eventually hear his whimpering and dig through the mess to rescue him. Then they help him get rid of his stuff and get a life again. Bright, cartoonish drawings animate the story, and little birds comment in speech bubbles on the action here and there. Edward's cautionary tale might be useful in initiating conversations with young children about what kind of "stuff" in life really matters. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick

Children's Literature - Paula Rohrlick

PreS-Gr 2—Young Edward, a rabbit, is a bit of a hoarder. He is obsessed with his stuff, and can't seem to stop collecting it, even when it drives away his two best friends. One day a large truck causes so much vibration that he becomes buried under an avalanche of his treasures. Although unharmed, Edward is trapped along with many of his possessions. He soon tires of them and longs for his friends. Responding to his cries for help, Anthony and Marguerite burrow through the mess and free Edward, who emerges with an epiphany: there is more to life than stuff. With the help of his friends, he gives everything away. Unencumbered, he once again has the time to play with them, which is really the "best STUFF of all." The message is a bit heavy-handed and might have done better to promote a healthy balance between material possessions and friendship. Few children would like to be put in the position of having to choose between one or the other. The bright cartoon illustrations are quite appealing, and there's a lot going on in the pages. The characters' faces are expressive and will help clue in young readers.—Debbie Lewis, Alachua County Library District, FL

School Library Journal

An anti-consumerist cautionary tale just doesn't quite work.

Young Edward, a rabbit, has two good friends: Anthony, a beaver, and Marguerite, a cat. Then he has his stuff, his wonderful stuff. Anthony notes that Edward may have a little too much stuff. "How can anyone have too much STUFF?" is Edward's retort. There comes a day when his stuff leaves no room for Anthony or Marguerite or, for that matter, time. He's too busy to play because he's "doing STUFF with my STUFF." There comes another day when the whole mess collapses on him, and Anthony and Marguerite save his stuff-smothered butt. Palatini's wordplay keeps this story of prioritizing values from drifting into timeworn homily, as when Edward is at first protected by his stuff when it crashes down: " 'I'm saved. Saved by my STUFF!' How good was that?" Edward's volte-face from stuff fan to stuff foe also rings true; all that stuff is about to suffocate him, metaphorically and literally. Jones' illustrations—with their wobbly black linework and clear grasp of Edward's mania—also strike a balance between reasonable fascination with cool stuff (a tuba, robots, cuckoo clocks) and serious junk (fish heads, smelly sneakers, broken crayons). Then the final page makes a painfully playful stab at comparing friendship to stuff, which not only doesn't work as irony, but pulls the plug on the whole cautionary endeavor.

Palatini should've stopped one STUFF earlier.(Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews