Max Found Two Sticks

I'm biased because of emotional ties to Brooklyn, but since we moved after my son was born, I was very happy to find and read him this book. It reminds me of the kids on our street there, playing games with what they find - and sticks are pretty harmless as far as city finds go. The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL. Max consistently answers "what are you doing with those sticks?" musically, not verbally - which isn't necessarily how I want my son to communicate with me, but since we listen to and play a lot of music here, I think it's a good book to show the range of communication, and to show that it's ok to do your own thing without constantly explaining yourself. While it might be strange to some that Max answers their questions with music, it's actually stranger that people ask absent-mindedly what he's doing when they can see and hear what he's doing - playing music!! Max has his head on straight, and in the end is rewarded by a parade of musicians passing by, with one passing a pair of "real" drumsticks to him. It's a nice touch, that while his family doesn't get him, other musicians do. Again, I think this encourages kids to have confidence in doing their own thing. (Can you tell this is a resounding value with me?!) While I'm writing about the plot, I think a serious asset to this book is with the illustrations. My 3 year old doesn't rush to turn pages, he really takes in the drawings. He is very verbal and communicative, but I think this book adds another dimension to his book collection.

A boy named Max found sticks. He made alot of sounds and rhythyms. Then when Max was playing drums a band came over and the last drummer gave Max a real pair of drum sticks. I like the pictures in the book. I didn't like when he wasn't anwsering everyone. I think kids should read it with their families.

This story is about a boy who loves music and rhythms. He has some drumsticks so he plays music. We loved his music the best! I think people should read this book because people get an idea to be in a band. We would too.

This book is about a boy named Max who found two sticks and makes music with other things he sees. We liked this story because of the music. We didn't like that Max didn't respond to his family. We think people all around the world should read this book.

I have used this book for several years in my music classroom. I've used it to introduce percussion family, marching band,self-expression and creative compositions. The story itself is wonderfully done, but the illustrations make the book a treasure. My students ask to read this one during Read Aloud Week.