Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Donaldson and Scheffler, the team behind <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Room on the Broom and <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">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 <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">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 <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">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. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)

ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

It ain't easy being a stick. Just ask Stick Man, who embarks on an increasingly unfortunate series of misadventures when he is snatched up by a playful pup one morning. Despite his repeated cries of "I'm not a stick! Why can't you see, / I'm Stick Man, I'm Stick Man, / I'M STICK MAN, that's me, / And I want to go home to the family tree," he gets used as a flagpole, sword, bat, snowman's arm, and more before finally winding up on a pile of logs in an as-yet-unlit fireplace. There, a surprise visitor gets stuck in the chimney (who could it be?) and helps brings Stick Man home to his "Stick Lady Love and their stick children three." Quaint, pleasant artwork and cheery people keep the tone light, and despite the near-constant peril, Stick Man's various plights never come off as too scary. The easy cadence, with a rolling structure and uncomplicated rhymes, will make this endearing picture book a fun read-along, and though Stick Man might object, kids will recognize the near-endless possibilities for fun that a stick presents.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Stick Man lives in the family tree / With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three. After being mistaken for a plain old stick, Stick Man suffers many indignities--then finds himself in a fireplace on Christmas Eve. Donaldson's lively rhyme and Scheffler's comical illustrations (never has a stick looked more engaging) help temper worries about our hero's fate.

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)

School Library Journal (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

PreS-Gr 1 Stick Man is happy with his Stick Lady Love and their stick children threeuntil 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 snowmans 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