- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Comedy
Stuck
Part of the Oliver Jeffers universeOpen the collection
A brilliantly escalating read-aloud comedy about a boy trying to rescue his kite by throwing increasingly ridiculous things into a tree. It is one of Jeffers' funniest and most immediately child-pleasing books.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Repetitive
- Comedic
- Conversational
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Absurdist
- Irreverent
- Warm
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Floyd's kite gets stuck in a tree, so he does what any sensible picture-book child would do: he throws something else at it. When that gets stuck too, he throws another thing, and then another, and the problem becomes more and more ridiculous. Soon the tree is full of wildly inappropriate objects, and Floyd remains entirely committed to his terrible plan. Stuck is built on comic escalation, repetition and the delicious pleasure of watching a simple problem become absurdly out of control. Oliver Jeffers' loose drawings and deadpan timing make the silliness feel effortless, while the large format and clear visual jokes make it ideal for reading aloud to younger children. It is not especially deep, and that is part of its charm: it is pure, funny, expertly paced picture-book nonsense.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 6–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Laugh out loud read aloud
- Comic escalation
- Silly picture book
- Preschool humour
- Quick bedtime fun
Avoid if
- Wants emotional depth
- Dislikes absurd humour
- Wants realistic logic
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A gloriously absurd read-aloud about a boy throwing everything at a stuck kite — a story-time hit, great for predicting the next ridiculous thing.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the escalation — Floyd's kite stuck in a tree, his shoe stuck trying to fetch it, then the cat, then a ladder, paint pot, rhinoceros, whale, lighthouse. The picture book where the bad solution keeps getting bigger and bigger and somehow funnier.
- Trickery and cleverness
- Adventure and freedom
Why parents love it
The Oliver Jeffers reductio-ad-absurdum picture book — Floyd's escalating tree-throwing strategy, the list of stuck objects mounting until the joke transcends itself. Brilliantly engineered. One of his funniest read-alouds.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Bedtime appropriate
About the author & illustrator
Oliver Jeffers.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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