Barnaby Jones Rocks

When I was a child, my favorite book in the whole world was The Flying Hockey Stick by Jolly Roger Bradfield. I remember being read to as a chlid on a regular basis, and more often than not, I begged my mother to read this book to me. Even today, as an adult, not having seen the book for several years, I can still remember the story and how great it was.

The story revolves around a little boy named Barnaby Jones. For some reason or another, he wants to invent a flying machine. So, he comes up with this crazy plan to make a flying machine out of a hockey stick, a fan, an umbrella and some duct tape. Seriously. This is why Barnaby Jones rocks. He was the pioneer of duct tape engineering.

Barnaby goes around his neighborhood and collects as many extension chords as possible because this book was written in the 80's and they hadn't developed a better technology.

So Barnaby goes off on his flying adventure, and soon he runs into some plot twisting events. We think he's just going for a casual stroll through the air on his flying hockey stick, but in fact, he is out to save people! On his adventures he manages to save lives, make friends, and avoid dangerous situations.....

I am not sure why this particular book was so awesome. It must be because I have always been interested in tinkering with things to make other things, and also because I always wanted to fly away from my house...if only for a quick adventure.

If you're a new parent, or just someone who loves kids books, you should definitely read The Flying Hockey Stick. It will bring out a sense of adventure in you, and make you realize how important the kidness of strangers is.

Perhaps Jolly Roger Bradfield's upbringing in the wonderful state of Minnesota helped to bring this great book to life. Although I am not a true Minnesotan, I lived there for many years. The people of that state definitely place their values in friendship and community, and these are just some of the things Bradfield teaches to youth in this book.

An accomplished painter, illustator, and cartoonist, Bradfield authored several amazing children's books, which I now plan on going out to buy... even though I don't have kids... simply because they are AWESOME.

Here are a few of the other books he has written and what I think they are probably about based on the cover:

There's an Elephant in my Bathtub - the touching story of a young boy batteling his early onset Schizophrenia

Benjamin Dilley's Thirsty Camel - The harrowing story of a young boy on a misadventure through the mideast

Pickle-Chiffon Pie - A story about the craziness ensues when you lace a pickle-chiffon pie with shrooms

Hello, Rock - the story of what happens when you eat one too many pieces of pickle-chiffon pie

But seriously. Jolly Roger Bradfield is an amazing story teller when combining his talent for words with his talent for illustration. I highly reccommend his work.