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While I have found the combination of Julia Donaldson's verses and Axel Scheffler's accompanying pictures (like usual) lyrically engaging and illustratively expressive (and also much appreciate that in Stick Man, the lost Stick Father, even after having experienced all kinds of physical trauma from both animals and humans, still immediately rescues Santa Claus from his predicament of being stuck in a chimney and by doing so then gets an appreciative sleigh ride home to his worried family and thus a merry Christmas for all), personally, there are some parts of the illustrations (of the specific details in a number of Axel Scheffler's depicted and drawn scenes) that as an older and educated adult I do find hugely problematic and even downright strange. For one, I do NOT AT ALL appreciate that in the illustration where Stick Man points out that he is not a bow, the individual using Stick Man as a bow is someone "playing Indian" and wearing a feather headdress (as that is considered majorly offensive to and for many Native Americans and Canadians, and even though in Europe, they are sadly still a bit behind the times with regard to this, it really does bother me that even in the 21st century, Axel Scheffler would depict people playing at being "Native"). And furthermore, for two (and yes, this is probably a bit nit-picky on my part, but I cannot help my feelings concerning this), I also have found it rather weird and creepy that in Stick Man, the Stick Family is illustrated as living in a tree house where the bed is made of chopped lumber and where the walls are decorated with gathered greenery (as to and for me, that sure looks like a family of wooden people actually destroying their own for house and home).

Therefore, while with Stick Man, I have definitely enjoyed Julia Donaldson's verses (and the uplifting messages behind them), there are simply too many (in my opinion) potentially problematic and questionable aspects contained in certain parts of Axel Scheffler's accompanying artwork for me to consider more than two stars (as indeed, that "playing Indian" image and that the Stick Family basically uses a wooden bed made of chopped lumber, this has certainly rather rubbed me the wrong way).