Young Adult & Children’s Literature: Stuck

As published in Irish America Magazine, Review of Books
December / January 2012  p. 113

With his latest book, Stuck, Belfast-born illustrator Oliver Jeffers has created an amusing tale for children – one that is at once minimalist and zany. Following a boy named Floyd and his innovative if misguided attempts to retrieve his kite from a tree, Jeffers’ story begins quite simply, as do his drawings. Squiggles and swirls, the kind that children will recognize from the back pages of their own coloring books, serve as shadows and clouds, but these form only the foundation of Jeffers’ world. He layers textures, combining mediums and expressive colors to create a vibrant and visually comical picture-book.

Readers will find their expectations continually subverted in increasingly absurd ways. The narration is dry and self-aware – meaning that adults, too, will appreciate this clever, if unapologetically silly story. Stuck has no straightforward message. Which is not to say that it is hollow, but rather that it is ambiguous. Is it a parable about perseverance? About faith? Is it satire on single-mindedness? An exploration of humanity in the face of futility and randomness? This is Kafka for the 3-7 set.

Stuck is a charming story; familiar enough to draw in young readers, and respectful enough of their intelligence to keep them returning years past the ages indicated on the bookjacket.

(30 pages/Philomel Books/$16.99)