Stickboy

By Rebecca Young & Matt Ottley
Reviewed by Lara Cain Gray

Stickboy is a unique and mature picture book from the collaborative team behind 2018’s much lauded Teacup. In a similar vein to that story, a lone figure holds the future in his hands, persisting against both human and environmental foes to remain hopeful. With dreamlike, dystopian imagery and strong themes of struggle and hardship, this will be an intriguing conversation starter for the home or classroom.

Stickboy lived in wind and dust, where ancient rock loomed like waves waiting to break. The opening page shows Stickboy with a canine companion, dwarfed by mighty dust-brown rock formations. It is clearly a parched landscape; perhaps a drought-stricken future Earth. Stickboy moves with a nomadic group on a quest for water. He is an outsider, however, shunned and regularly left behind.  Stickboy’s grandmother had told him stories of a past when great oceans filled the land. She had given him special knowledge to guide him on finding water, though ‘everyone’ refused to acknowledge it. When Stickboy does, eventually, find water, the outcome is surprising and surreal, with three exceptional wordless spreads leaving much room for debate about interpreting the ending.

Pitched by the publisher for 3 to 7 year olds, it may be frightening or confusing for young readers without support. But the potential for exploring parts of storytelling like visual features, figurative language, perspective and allegory is immense. On each page amidst the dry rock formations, for example, there is a nod to water elements – clouds like seafoam, a rock face like the bow of a ship. There is a discussion to be had about listening to the Earth and who might be positioned as a truth teller when it comes to environmental awareness. It is also a story about one person’s courage to be true to themselves and follow their own beliefs.

Scholastic AU,  2024
Rebecca Young
Matt Ottley

Lara Cain Gray is the author of The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books