I am Stuck by Julia Mills

Published: 26th September 2023
Publisher: Clarion Books
Illustrator: Julia Mills
Pages: 48
Format: Picture Book
★   ★   ★   ★  – 4 Stars

“Stuck” asks Duck. Yep, Turtle is flipped over on his shell and can’t seem to get un-stuck. Duck suggests wiggling his feet, Kangaroo wants him to wag his tail, and Armadillo says rolling into a ball always does the trick. But Turtle is STILL. STUCK.

Is there anyone who can help?

This wise and humorous story reminds us that when we’re feeling down, sometimes what we need most is a friend by our side–and a deep belly laugh–to help us get back on our feet again.

A tender (and humorous!) look at the way tough emotions can make us feel stuck and how the presence of a good friend and a deep belly laugh can make it easier to get through stormy feelings. Complete with back matter to help stuck readers feel better through noticing, smelling, talking, and taking a deep breath.

This is a sweet book that starts off sad, gets very metaphorical, before being sweet and heartfelt at the end.

The premise is Turtle is stuck and unable to become un-stuck. Everyone is happy to come along and give him advice on what to do while actually ignoring the reality of his situation and whether it will actually help. They walk through, give their personal solutions that work for them, then walk off without seeing if it helps at all. Even when they do stay, they shrug and walk off saying ‘it always works for me’.

It is a wonderful metaphor for a lot of life’s problems, emotions, and situations. One thing I loved was the ending and how Mills has Turtle become unstuck.  What was a nice twist wasn’t that someone finally listened and gave the right advice, but that listening helped, even if no help could be provided until Turtle could help himself. It is a great message to put in a book because sometimes you can’t help yourself and need help, but other times a friendly ear and someone to sit with you will be enough to get you unstuck.

When there is someone beside you, as a distraction, as a comfort, to talk with while you are stuck, it can help calm anxieties and focus on other things for a while. There is a great page at the end about what to do when stuck, similar to what Turtle does in the book. And stuck never is explained aside from literal sense for Turtle but it can mean so many things.

The illustrations are basic, the only pictures are Turtle and the animals who come across him on a plain white page. They become a bit more detailed when Turtle is finally getting support but it is still simple. There didn’t need to be a lot of background detail, or have scenery at all; having Turtle be centred in the middle of the page makes you focus entirely on them being stuck and you can’t ignore their struggle.

You can purchase I am Stuck via the following

QBD | Blackwell’s

Dymocks | Wordery

 Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust