Stuck

Written by Oliver Jeffers

Narrated by Terence Stamp

Chaos ensues when a young boy gets his kite stuck up a tree in this laugh-out-loud new picture book from award-winning, internationally best-selling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers!

Floyd gets his kite stuck up a tree. He throws up his shoe to shift it, but that gets stuck too. So he throws up his other shoe and that got stuck, along with… a ladder, a pot of paint, the kitchen sink, an orang-utan and a whale, amongst other things!

Will Floyd ever get his kite back?

A hilarious book with a wonderful surprise ending.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Aug 29, 2013
• ISBN: 9780007468164

Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers is a highly acclaimed talent in picture books. He graduated from The University of Ulster in 2001 with First Class honours and has since exhibited his paintings around the world. His outstanding talent has already been recognised by several high-profile awards, including the Nestlé Children's Book Prize Gold Award, the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and the Irish Children's Book of the Year.

Reviews for Stuck

[annawaffles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Poor whale.

[meditationesmartini · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emmett's favourite game is STILL getting stuck and he's almost 5 now. I hope it lasts forever.

[catiebarber · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so funny! From the same author who wrote The Incredible Book Eating Boy (also hilarious). A boy (Floyd) gets his kite stuck in a tree and has to figure out how to get it out. He ends up throwing a lot of items (anything from a shoe to an orangutan) up into the tree which also get stuck. The illustrations are simple but they portray all the frustrations of anybody who has something stuck up in a tree!

[rebecalynn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book, the child got his kite stuck in the tree. In order to get it out, he continued to throw more things up into the tree that also got stuck. He threw many things into the tree. It gets late, and he is too tired to keep trying. So, he goes to sleep, and then says he has a great idea. The End.

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he throws his shoe up to dislodge it, only to find that the shoe gets stuck as well. Soon his other shoe, a cat, a ladder, and a succession of ever-larger and ever more absurd objects and creatures are stuck in the three, as Floyd chucks them at the problem. When the tree is laden with everything from a blue whale to a firetruck (complete with firefighters), his kite is finally freed, and Floyd runs off to play. After a full day, he goes to bed, haunted by the feeling that there is something he has forgotten...Author/artist Oliver Jeffers delivers an absurdly hilarious madcap romp in Stuck, one in which the zany illustrations are more than a match for the narrative hi-jinks. The surreal humor here rests not just upon Floyd's unorthodox manner of confronting his problem, but also upon the speech-bubble comments of the people who are dragged into his messy solution, and stranded in the treetop. The artwork is quirky and appealing, in the inimitable Jeffers way that I find difficult to describe, and that, despite not necessarily being to my taste aesthetically, always works just right with the story, and keeps me amused. The scene in which whale, lighthouse, and ship are all sticking up from the tree won a particularly appreciative chuckle. Recommended to all Oliver Jeffers fans, and to anyone looking for picture-books with a somewhat surreal silliness.

[shahnareads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had me lol-ing by page three.
ha!

It's an adorable book. Perfect for wee ones.

[sabrar-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Floyd one day decided to fly a kite but as soon as he starting to fly it, it got stuck in a tree. At first he didn't know what to do but then he got an idea. He thought if he started throwing things in the tree it would knock his kite down. He threw is favorite pairs of shoes, a cat, a ladder, some paint, a duck, a chair, a bicycle, his kitchen sink, a door, a milk man even a orangutan. He threw many more objects up in that tree when suddenly his kite finally came down, Floyd finished flying his kite that day then went to bed. Laying in bed he had a feeling he forgot something but could think of what it was. This is a good fantasy book because it is about a situation that could happen to any child and it can get them think of what they could do. But of course the book gives it a good twist with stuff that would actually not happen in real life. for example Floyd throws a house and a whale in a tree and even a milk man.

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I watched a reading of this on youtube. It is what it is - if you appreciate the absurd, if you're as self-centered as a normal child and perhaps could use a little lesson in empathy, you'll probably bust a gut over this.

[bethwal94 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This modern fantasy starts out with a boy who gets his kite stuck in a tree. He begins to throw other things at the kite to try and get it down, but nothing seems to work. As the day goes on, the items he throws get bigger and bigger, and all of them get stuck! Eventually, there is no room left in the tree, and his kite falls down. He plays with his kite for the rest of the day, and then goes to sleep, leaving everything he threw still in the tree.

[auggiezee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lovely and playful illustrations to complement a silly text -- well done!

[jolenaryan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book. It's a funny book about a kid getting his things kite etc stuck in a tree. It encourages creative critical thinking. Curricular connections- using it for a creative lesson on how you think Floyd could've got unstuck. Writing funny stories.

[bayleewestrick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This modern fantasy book tells the story of how a boy gets everything stuck in a tree. He gets his favorite kite gets stuck in the tree, so he threw his favorite shoe into the tree. He then proceeded to throw many things to try and get them down such as a boat, a sink, a whale or a duck. The fire department went up into the tree, but they got stuck too. However, his kite fell down and he went to bed happily, forgetting about everything else that was stuck in the tree.

[hhaddad1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is great for a vocabulary lesson. It has a lot of tier II words. I would read this book to second graders. It is about a boy who gets his toys stuck in a tree. In order to get his other toys down, he continues to throw toys up at the tree. It is a good book for predicting what will happen next.

[lbradf4 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

 My opinion of the short story Stuck was that it was a very pointless book, and while the pictures related well to the story, it was repetitive and boring, and it was completely unrealistic. The only real lesson to learn is about determination and never giving up. The boy gets his kite stuck up in a tree in the backyard and begins throwing objects into the tree to try and knock the other objects down. His determination to get his kite back leads to him throwing nearly every object he can get his hands on up into the tree. The boy threw a chair, a duck, a cat, a bicycle, a sick, a door, a house, a fire engine, fire fighters, a milk man, a car, an orangutan, a small boat, a big boat, a rhinoceros, a long-distance truck, a lighthouse, a whale, and the list goes on and on. The boy continues to throw things until his perseverance pays off and he throws a saw into the tree, and the kite falls down because the tree is full. The story is very unrealistic and shows some very unsafe activities for a child to be doing, let alone be doing while without an adult around. The story does an excellent job at show that if you don’t give up, eventually you will succeed in what you are trying to do.

[kkadal1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I did not enjoy "Stuck", the central message of which was for one to be determined in one’s efforts to problem-solve. The problem solver in this story was Floyd, a young boy whose kite got stuck in a tree, as did everything thereafter that he threw up into the tree in order to retrieve the kite. One aspect of the story I did enjoy was the illustrations, which fit the whimsical and child-like nature that it exuded. What I disliked about the book was its lack of a plot, as well as its repetitive nature. There was no real rhyme or reason to the story other than a young boy succeeding in getting various objects and animals stuck in a tree, which leads me to believe that the story was purely written to amuse young children. The book was also predictable in nature, which I understand is preferable to young readers, but is not to me as an older reader. I do feel as though this book will appeal to young children’s senses of imagination as well as their creativity, which is a positive aspect of the story. Overall, while the book might be one that might appeal to young children in terms of its humor, it is not one of which I was particularly fond.

[cvarela-2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Stuck is a story about a boy trying to rescue his stuck in a tree kite. He thinks hard and in order to accomplish his mission, the big throws just about anything, from a cat to a whale. It is a very cute story about perseverance and imagination. A great story for the lower grades where tons of predictions could be made since the reader can't even imagine what the boy will throw next in order to rescue his kite.

[nkwak1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this book. Oliver Jeffers' humor reaches all ages. I thought the book was eye-catching and intriguing. Jeffers portrayed the plot in a well-organized manner. In this particular book there are multiple additions throughout. Floyd first gets his kite stuck in a tree and in order to get his kite unstuck he tosses other things in the tree. Unfortunately, more and more things get stuck in the tree. In the first few pages, Floyd gets his kite, shoes, cat, ladder, paint, duck, chair, and friend's bicycle all stuck in the tree. No matter what he throws up in the tree, it gets stuck. As a writer, Jeffers needs to be able to organize this plot well so that the items don't seem jumbled together or in complete chaos. Although multiple things get stuck in the tree, Jeffers explains it in an orderly way, describing each and every item and how, without a doubt, everything gets stuck. Similar to "The Heart and the Bottle," I enjoyed the illustrations that Jeffers creates. This story is dependent on the illustrations in many aspects. Jeffers explains every item that Floyd throws up into the tree. The visuals on each page enhance the story, allowing readers to get a clear understanding of the scene being described. His illustrations also add to the humorous aspect of his book. The expressions on Floyd's face give readers a better idea of how Floyd is feeling at the time and the colors bring to life the illustrations. The style of Jeffers' illustrations fits perfectly with the written text. For example, at the end of the book Floyd finally thinks of getting a saw. Readers expect the saw to be big and that Floyd will cut down the tree. Nevertheless, he pulls out a tiny saw and throws it up at the tree. The tree can no longer hold any more objects and the kite finally gets unstuck. I think that the main idea or message of this story is focused on bringing humor to children's books. It's also a simple and fun read for young children.

[supendleton · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A humorous story that young children will enjoy. After Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, he begins to throw ALL sorts of things into the tree to get it out. Of course the things he throws in the tree get progressively stranger and stranger. Aimed for the pre-K to 1st grade crowd.

[kradish-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A boy gets his kite stuck in a tree, rapidly followed by many other improbable things. Great for making predictions.

[shauna_wheelwright-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

DARLING BOOK!MUST SEE!CUTE! CUTE! CUTE!Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree...and "it wouldn't come unstuck."Not knowing what else to do he throws his shoe up to try to get the kite down...Only to have his shoe get stuck too!Floyd throws thing after thing up into the treeRead to find out what gets stuck in the tree and in what order...And to see if the kite ever does come down :)LOVED IT!

[awhite43-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed "Stuck" by author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers. I liked the simple illustrations that Jeffers used that emphasize only the young boy , the tree his kite is stuck in and all the items he continues to throw at the tree, unsuccessfully, in order to get the kite out of the tree. As I read, I thought it was funny that Jeffers would intentionally introduce items that we assume are going to be used in a more traditional manner only to find that once again the boy chooses to toss more problems at the tree. A great example of this is the fire engine and crew who could simply climb up and remove the kite, but as we turn the page, we find that once again the boy has decided to toss them at the tree in another failing attempt to remove it. I enjoyed the childlike qualities of Jeffer's illustrations and the handwritten text, which gave the story the feeling of voice, helping me to imagine someone re-telling their account of Floyd's ridiculous attempts to resolve his issue. The theme of this book is problem solving and emphasizes looking for resolutions to problems beyond what caused our issue in the first place.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightfully absurd.

[andy_170279 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A funny story of a boy named Floyd who once his kite gets stuck on a tree he tries even the impossible to get it unstuck. Children can engage in a discussion about common sense or put themselves in the situation of the character.

[rtapia_567075 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

cute book about a boy that gets his kite stuck in a tree and tries throwing everything in the tree to knock the kite out. in the end he gets his kite but leaves he tree full of everything you can think of. Its a funny story that when you read it you will find your self laughing. Good book that i could somewhat relate to.

[mfeil_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a funny book! I love it! Most kids have gotten something stuck up in a tree, or on a roof, and can easily relate to this book. I can imagine young readers trying to wrap their minds around such ridiculous things stuck up in a tree. Great read-aloud! Also, issues of problem solving can be discussed with this book.Ages: 3-7 (B&N)

[alyson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Funny! I love the little tiny saw that does the trick but in an unexpected way!

[lhamed_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It all started when Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree. Everything he threw at the kite also got stuck in the tree. The illustration in this book is really fun and different.