Soft and Sticky

by Jeanne Willis, Claire Powell (illustrator)

Andersen Press Soft and Sticky ABISBOOK Andersen Press.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 8, 2025

About the author

Jeanne Willis was born in St Albans and trained as an advertising copywriter at Watford College. She worked for various agencies creating press adverts and TV, cinema and radio commercials. She is now a full-time writer and has published over 80 books. Her hobbies include gardening, reading (non-fiction), natural history and collecting caterpillars. Jeanne has also worked on scripts for TV, including POLLY POCKET and THE SLOW NORRIS, and a pilot TV series for DR XARGLE. She lives in North London with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun stuff in the art! I enjoyed the story that was told in well-metered/creatively rhymed text. I didn't entirely understand:

1. why they needed to take drastic measures to remove themselves from one another when they actually could separate themselves.
2. how they lived together, but suddenly they were living apart and having to call each other on the phone.
3. the sudden shift from being alone and having to call each other from separate locations to being back together in the same home. The story needed one more stanza to shift the story back to their loft.

I'd give it 3 stars if it weren't for the fabulous art!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about friends who try to make things work out despite their differences. Great for talking about textures, too--the illustrations give me a seuss-y feel.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

the premise of this book didn't do much for me (but the illustrations elevated everything) AND forced rhymes are a huge red flag that reading aloud is going to be clunky