Publishers Weekly
★ 05/22/2023
The eponymous protagonist of this wonder-oriented picture book, who appeared previously in Smith’s A Gift for Nana, has eight googly eyes, a round twiggy body, bat-like ears, and a positive mental attitude that’s off the charts. After running down a list of favorite things, Stickler effuses: “Our world has some pretty weird stuff in it!... Oh, to see it all anew. Wouldn’t that be amazing?” When a seeming visitor wearing a “cutting-edge space helmet” appears, Stickler immediately takes up a tour-guide role, ignoring clues that the being is actually a bird stuck in an empty tin can. Smith, through Stickler, does the planet proud: elaborately textured oil paint, gesso, and cold wax spreads make sunbeams feel warmly welcoming, huge stones look poetically weather-beaten (“Behold! The joy of ROCKS”), and helicopter seed pods seem like a revelation (“Then there are THESE THINGS dancing for us”). The visitor is eventually revealed to be Stickler’s pal Crow, who seems genuinely transformed by Stickler’s openhearted joie de vivre— “You really did open my eyes.” Centering irrepressible joy that’s a force of nature itself, the work lovingly portrays an “amazing... weird... wonderful” world that’s worth experiencing anew. Ages 4–8. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
A sweet ode to life’s small joys.” —People Magazine
★ "Smith has joined the oddball goofiness of his earlier books with the heart and soul of his more recent stories, and the result is a book as physically beautiful as it is moving.... A buoyant, bristly ode to joy." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "Centering irrepressible joy that’s a force of nature itself, the work lovingly portrays an 'amazing... weird... wonderful' world that’s worth experiencing anew." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "A delightful book intended to encourage readers to appreciate the simple beauty of everyday things...."—School Library Journal, starred review
"The message here is not just to find the beauty in the world but to relish in its absolute weirdness and wondrous possibilities." —The Bulletin
"Smith again explores a world of friendly monsters, talking animals, and personified inanimate objects, here celebrating childlike curiosity, wonder, and appreciation." —The Horn Book
"Stickler delights in his surroundings and invites readers to revel in their own fresh perspective on the world....A gleeful take on the great outdoors." —Booklist
School Library Journal
★ 09/01/2023
K-Gr 2—Stickler, who first appeared in A Gift for Nana, gets its own picture book. Stickler is a strange creature from the dark forest. It certainly looks odd, with eight eyes, an oversized nose, and branchy hair, but Stickler is not the least bit scary. In fact, it is full of joy and wonder at the world around it and can serve as an inspiration for all to look upon their everyday surroundings with fresh eyes. This includes a space being Stickler encounters one day in the forest while it gathers its absolutely most favorite item: sticks! Stickler guides the space being through the forest, showing it the beauty of the sun, flowers, waves, and fish in a nearby waterway, as well as the feel of wind and the wonder of rocks. When Stickler adjusts the new creature's space visor to better see the colors of a sunset, Stickler is surprised to find that it was its friend Crow, with an empty tin of peas stuck on his head, all along! Though Crow could not see all Stickler described firsthand, Stickler's excitement and enthusiasm for the wonders of the forest give him a new appreciation for the beauty surrounding him. Illustrations are an interesting combination of painting techniques used to give the pictures real-world texture while additional pencil drawings are rendered digitally. Illustration colors include gentle pastels that contrast nicely against the bursts of colors from flowers, trees, and the night sky. VERDICT A delightful book intended to encourage readers to appreciate the simple beauty of everyday things, this selection would make a great addition to a picture book collection.—Jennifer LaBurre
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-05-09
Smith eschews twee for twigs in this tribute to our world.
No joke, Stickler truly does love the wild, wonderful world in which we live. Resembling nothing so much as a toothy stickball with outsized ears, eyes (eight of them!), and pointy little teeth, Stickler runs about the natural world naming objects with all the enthusiasm of a Richard Scarry page (“Mushy moss! Sticky honey!”). The only thing better would be to see it all for the first time. Enter a bird with a can on his head. Stickler promptly decides the bird must be a space alien and, delighted, sets about showing the creature everything it loves about our planet. Happily, when the bird’s true identity is revealed, Stickler’s tour of world wonders has not gone unappreciated. While this tale may take its visual cues from such Smith classics as The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip (2000), written by George Saunders (Stickler exudes some serious gapper energy), it’s the hero’s spiky strangeness that proves the perfect accompaniment to a text that could otherwise dissolve into treacle. Here Smith has joined the oddball goofiness of his earlier books with the heart and soul of his more recent stories, and the result is a book as physically beautiful as it is moving. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
“Friendship! Happiness! World peace! Maple syrup!” A buoyant, bristly ode to joy. (Picture book. 4-7)
