  | Robin and the stick Author: Goodale, E. B. | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
Robin, who always carries a stick, becomes captivated by a giant one at the end of the street, and though unable to lift it, discovers a little more strength and possibility with each passing day.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (02/01/26)
Booklist (+) (04/01/26)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 01/12/2026 Two truths slowly converge for a growing child in this developmentally oriented picture book, a sweet series debut from Goodale (A Pocket Full of Rocks). Little Robin, sporting a bright red hood from which a single curl peeks, always carries a stick. One’s for bedtime, others are scattered throughout the house ("One on the piano,// One next to Teddy"), and a jug in the hall holds many more. When a large branch falls across the sidewalk, Robin sees it as the ultimate prize, but it won’t budge, and Mama sets a firm boundary: "It’s only a stick if you can pick it up off the ground." Mama also tells Robin daily, "Today you are the biggest you’ve ever been." In comical but deeply empathic vignettes, Robin keeps on tackling the branch, and eventually succeeds-as the child becomes their biggest self yet, wanting becomes doing and the quarry becomes a stick. Through monoprint and oil images, grayscale scenes brightened by Robin’s red hood, and capitals in a custom font, this a quietly wonderful work gets at a child’s growing sense of competency, identity, and domain. Characters’ skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 3-6. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Literary. (Apr.) - Copyright 2026
Booklist - 04/01/2026 *Starred Review* Toddlers love repetition, and Robin is no exception. Set against a white background, soft, simple black lines filled in with scratchy grays, created with oil paint and a printmaking technique, form the child’s world. Dressed in a red hoodie (the only color in the book), Robin, with a perpetual lock of hair poking out, has a stick in hand, not to mention a collection of others in buckets, on the piano, in bed, next to teddy—everywhere. Fuzzy gray vertical lines that could be either bedroom wallpaper or a background forest signify the toddler’s imagination, while Mama’s morning ritual, lifting up Robin and recognizing, “Today you are the biggest you’ve ever been!” brings the toddler back to reality. One day, the biggest stick ever lies on the sidewalk, causing a physical and existential dilemma. The stick is too heavy to pick up because, says Mama, it’s a branch. As the spare text relates, “But Robin kept trying,” expressive illustrations convey the toddler’s frustration over the branch’s heft until days and days of Mama’s morning ritual—and, perhaps, a little growth spurt—give Robin the strength to lift the branch and carry it inside. Robin’s renewed joy and pride, and a bit of humor in Mama’s smile, offer a delightful ending to this gentle celebration of growing up. - Copyright 2026 Booklist.
