Children - Holidays & Festivals, Children - Fiction & Literature

Stick Man

Name: Stick Man
Author: Julia Donaldson
ISBN: 9780545157612

by Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler

Available on Bookshop Write a review

Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.

Overview

From superstars Donaldson and Scheffler, a heartwarming holiday tale.

Stick Man lives in the family tree With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.

But one day, Stick Man is carried off by a mischievous dog who wants to play fetch! Things go from bad to worse as Stick Man is carried farther and farther away from home. Lonely and lost, Stick Man desperately wants to get home to be with his family for Christmas. And when he helps Santa Claus out of a bind, he finds the perfect ticket home!

Synopsis

Stick Man lives in the family tree

With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.

Publishers Weekly

Donaldson and Scheffler, the team behind Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo, find a roundabout route to Christmas in this bouncy tale. Stick Man is just that, a brown stick with twig arms and branch legs. His story is delivered in perfect meter: “Stick Man lives in the family tree/ With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three.” One spring day, Stick Man unwillingly joins a dog's game of fetch, is sent downstream by children and woven into a swan's nest. As the seasons change, Stick Man travels farther from home, futilely protesting (in vehement Green Eggs and Ham style), “I'm not a mast for a silly old flag,/ Or a sword for a knight... or a hook for a bag.” In his darkest hour, he nearly becomes kindling, only to have Santa arrive down the chimney. Donaldson and Scheffler's poignant, suspenseful profile of an inanimate object recalls Laurie Keller or The Velveteen Rabbit. Donaldson's rhymes never skip a beat, and Scheffler personalizes the many animals, people and settings in his witty watercolors. This yarn could become a December perennial. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)

About the Author, Julia Donaldson

Julia Donaldson is currently being honored as the UK Children's Laureate, and has written many bestselling picture books and novels for young readers. She lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with her husband, Malcolm.

Axel Scheffler's award-winning books include ROOM ON THE BROOM, THE SNAIL AND THE WHALE, and THE GRUFFALO. His illustrations have been published in more than thirty countries. He lives in London, England.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Editorials

Publishers Weekly

Children's Literature - Suzanna E. Henshon

Stick Man lives in the family tree with his wife and three children. One day as he is a jogging, a dog grabs Stick Man. Will Stick Man ever return home again? Soon a girl tosses him into a river and Stick Man floats by a swan. The swan uses Stick Man as a twig in her nest. Stick Man cannot believe that everyone thinks he is a stick when he is really a man. He sails out to sea and ends up at the top of a sandcastle on the beach. Stick Man does not want to be a bat, boomerang, bow, pen, knight, bag, or an arm of a snowman. Will he ever get back to his family tree? Soon he is lost, frozen, lonely, and weary when he hears a sweet-singing choir nearby. On Christmas Eve, Stick Man is about to become part of a fire when he hears a noise in the chimney. Stick Man helps Santa Claus get down the chimney and they deliver presents around the world. Finally Stick Man returns to his family tree and to the open arms of loved ones. It is the best Christmas present ever—just being home again! This book is filled with magical illustrations and lyrical text; Stick Man will enchant young readers. Reviewer: Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph.D.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1–Stick Man is happy with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three–until a dog finds him and snatches him for a game of fetch. This is the beginning of a terrible journey during which, Odysseus-like, Stick Man tries to get back but is taken farther and farther away from his home as he is used over the months for everything from a boomerang to a snowman’s arm. Readers will feel his anguish and cheer his eventual return (by Santa Claus no less, who rescues him from a fireplace on Christmas Eve) to his loving family. Bouncy, repetitive rhymes make this a good choice for storytime, and the saturated color illustrations carry well (although Stick Man does tend to blend, chameleonlike, into his surroundings). A slightly surreal holiday choice.–Eva Mitnick, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

Proving once again that almost any item can be a character in a children's book, Stick Man stands out as a sturdy fellow who has a distinct personality that is anything but wooden. When Stick Man leaves his Stick Lady Love and stick children three to go out for a jog, he is chased and carried off by a dog. Poor Stick Man then falls into one mishap after another, demonstrating all the creative uses for a stick by children and animals. After the little wooden man rescues Santa from a too-narrow chimney, Santa reciprocates by returning Stick Man to his family with a Christmas Eve sleigh ride. Scheffler's engaging illustrations, Donaldson's irresistible rhyming text and repeated refrains make this a winning read-aloud that will stick around long after the holiday season. (Picture book. 2-7)