{"product_id":"collecting-sticks-9781910702734","title":"Collecting Sticks","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eObserver \u003c\/i\u003eGraphic Novel of the Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e is a graphic novel about a family glamping trip. (It's like camping, but much more expensive.) Loosely based on actual events, but sometimes veering unexpectedly into fantasy, the story plays with the challenges nature presents to city folk as they forage for berries, get stuck up a tree, make perilous encounters with stinging wildlife, compete to build the best fire and discover the importance of finding good sticks. Also, it rains. It's about the human desire to get back to nature. Or to return to childhood and hit things with sticks.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFunny, moving, beautifully drawn, \u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e can stand beside Joff Winterhart’s classic graphic novel of family life,  \u003ci\u003eDays of the Bagnold Summer.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis wonderfully well-observed graphic novel from cartoonist Decie is \u003cb\u003ea must for anyone diving into the great outdoors this summer.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Zoë Apostolides * Daily Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eTent and Primus stove fanatics may want to give it a miss; ditto enthusiastic Scout leaders, and those who even in middle age ache inside at the merest thought of Glastonbury. \u003cb\u003eBut if you’re still scarred by camping holidays you endured as a kid – I know I am – then this singular, funny book is for you.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rachel Cooke * Observer Graphic Novel of the Month *\u003cbr\u003eA lovingly foraged show-and-tell of the quiet humour and tiny heartbreaks that lie beneath day-to-day parenthood. \u003cb\u003eJoe Decie is a master of his craft.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Stephen Collins\u003cbr\u003eDecie so \u003cb\u003eperfectly captures the nuanced intimacies of the family unit\u003c\/b\u003e… The parental love in this book is \u003cb\u003eunderstated, and all the more poignant for the way it is gently folded into the fabric of these familial interactions\u003c\/b\u003e… The overarching impression given by \u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e is one of authenticity. -- Lucy Scholes * The Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eThe story of \u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e is moved along with great charm by Decie's young son, whose commentary throughout is \u003cb\u003ethe best representation of spending time with a child I have ever seen in comics\u003c\/b\u003e.  The rhythms of conversation and movement in this book are so delightful because they are so real. \u003cb\u003eIt is a book that will remind you of the best things in your life, the small things we don't have to worry about because we are safe and loved.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Kate Beaton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eI love this book. It's a lot like real life, just a bit more interesting.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Joff Winterhart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhat makes it work is its very ordinary notion of life’s small pleasures. Life is not always played out at operatic level. Sometimes it’s little more than a whisper.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Teddy Jamieson * Herald *\u003cbr\u003eDecie is \u003cb\u003ea fine chronicler of life\u003c\/b\u003e – the nonsensical conversations, boredom, in-jokes, little kindnesses and familiar anxieties. His drawings have a lovely sense of how people move and talks… \u003cb\u003eAn affectionate, nuanced tale\u003c\/b\u003e. -- James Smart * Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eThere’s undoubtedly something magical about a camping trip…\u003cb\u003ethis magic has been captured in \u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Andy Shaw * MYM Magazine *\u003cbr\u003eTo be honest, \u003cb\u003eit made me laugh out loud\u003c\/b\u003e! -- Maria Argueta * Brighton Journal *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCollecting Sticks\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003every well observed\u003c\/b\u003e. Decie conveys the family dynamic persuasively, and the book will ring true to curators of small children. It’s a quick read, \u003cb\u003ewith a dry sense of humour\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Pete Redrup * Quietus *","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48742577045847,"sku":"9781910702734","price":15.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781910702734.jpg?v=1720061975","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/collecting-sticks-9781910702734","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}