The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick

by Drew Daywalt, David Spencer (Illustrator)

When super cheerful Stick and grumpy stuffed bunny Huggie get thrown from a backpack, the adventure is on! Together this odd couple survives encounters with sea-faring pirates, raging rhinos in Africa, sword-wielding royalty in Europe, stick-eating panda bears in Asia, sharks in Australia, hungry penguins in Antarctica, and piranhas in South America--all before finally making it home to North America. A fantastically funny read-aloud about two unlikely friends and their epic journey around the world.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Adventure, Childrens, Friendship, Travel, Fantasy

40 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2018

About the author

Ever since his childhood in one of Ohio’s most haunted houses, writer director Drew Daywalt has been writing escapist fantasy and building worlds of his own. With a degree in Creative Writing, and a concentration in Children’s Literature from Emerson College in Boston, Daywalt set off to Hollywood where he spent years writing for Disney and Universal on such beloved shows as Timon & Pumba, Buzz Lightyear, and Woody Woodpecker, and where his animated series The Wacky World of Tex Avery garnered an Emmy nomination.

His first trip into live action landed him studio screenwriting and feature film directing work with such Hollywood luminaries as Quentin Tarrantino, Lawrence Bender, Tony Scott, Brett Ratner and Jerry Bruckheimer.

With an eye toward picture book writing, Daywalt’s first book THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, debuted on the New York Times Best Seller’s List in June 2013, and has since become a Number One Best Seller.

Reviews

[Roya · Rating 5 out of 5]

بیشتر چیزهای موردعلاقه‌م رو توی این کتاب پیدا کردم و بهترین گزینه واسه بی‌توجهی به غروب‌های تابستونی بود.
دزدهای دریایی، سفر، قطب جنوب، جنگل‌های بارانی، خاطره‌نویسی و تصویرگری قشنگ.
دوسش داشتم😺✨️

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

So wanted to like this book. The illustrations are very angry. Perhaps it was meant as funny but that is not the impression I got. Now let's give you a spoiler alert......"Dear Diary, There's a stick up my butt. I hate my life." Yes, that is in a picture book for children. This is one you decide. It is not for me or for me to recommend.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a hilarious book! This is the best Drew Daywalt book I have read. I found myself laughing out loud as I read this book. The illustrations are just as entertaining as the text as this duo takes quite an adventure together

I’m not sure who I like better in this book, Huggie or Stick. Huggie and Stick spend most of their day in the backpack of Reese, a little boy, as he goes about his day. One day, the pair find themselves falling out of Reese’s backpack and their story begins.

Just thinking about this book makes me laugh. Stick is having the time of his life as they try to find their way home. Stick is thrilled and amazed with their adventures. He’s delighted and excited about everything they encounter. He sees everything through rose-colored glasses. Huggie, on the other hand is just the opposite. Huggie’s sarcastic tones and his familiarity with these events, puts their travels into perspective. I found myself reading this book multiple times as it’s hilarious the way that each character describes the world they see. Ironically, they both are correct.

This is a large square book and the illustrations are wonderfully done. Using glossy paper, these bright illustrations pop-out and I could feel the energy of Stick as he enjoyed this journey and looking at Huggie, I knew exactly how he felt as he listened and watched Stick in each encounter.

What a gem! This book is worth more than 5 stars, I really love it! It comes with a glowing recommendation.

“BEST trip ever!” “Today we were rescued by these nice guys in super awesome hats.” “Huggie kinda barfed on the one with the biggest hat and they had us try out their diving board.” (Stick)
“WORST trip ever.” “Today we were captured by pirates.” “I got seasick on their captain, then they made us walk the plank.” (Huggie)

[Theresa Grissom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cow, this book is hilarious!! If you loved The Day the Crayons Quit, you will love Huggie & Stick. So darn funny, I was snorting while reading this book. One of my favorites.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by David Spencer. Philomel (Penguin), 2018. $18. 9780399172762

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3), EL - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

Stickie and Huggie are usually in Reece’s backpack, but one day they fall out (or maybe Huggie pushed Stick and got pulled along?); now they need to find their way back to Reece. Will they have to travel all the way around the world to find him?

What a great lesson on point of view! Stickie is the eternal optimist and Huggie plays the role of pessimist. Each of them tells each stage of the journey through their lens. Plus it is a super adorable book about lost toys.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Chance Lee · Rating 1 out of 5]

As an adult reader, I was bored and didn't finish this adventure story of a stick and a grumpy stuffed animal on an absurd global adventure. Younger readers may find it funny. I was too busy wondering when they had time to write their diaries.

[Dolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a very strange and bitingly humorous story of two beloved possessions who get lost and go on an adventure around the world.

I found the book at our local library and was intrigued by the title and cover illustration. The pictures are very colorful and cartoonish, created using pen and ink and Adobe Photoshop.

Perhaps it's just me, but I was disappointed that two of the picture books I read today contain mean and/or disparaging narrative/dialogue.

I find this very disconcerting. Am I being too sensitive and not fully appreciating the acerbic wit and sarcasm? Does this make me a (heaven forbid!?!) 'Snowflake'?

Or is this indicative of society's willingness to throw shade at any given moment?

I understand the 'charm' of the story is centered on the extreme polar opposite perspectives of the two characters.

One is the eternal optimist and the other a cranky pessimist.

I know myself to be a bit of a pollyanna silver-lining-to-every-cloud-kind of gal who relates to stick's sunshiny demeanor and outlook on life.

Our time on Earth is too short to be Mr. Grumpy pants all the time. And being able to go with the flow and appreciate the journey is a handy life skill, in my opinion.

But I understand that there are others who will likely relate much more to Huggie's 'glass is not just half empty, but shattered - and now I have a shard of it stuck in my eyeball' type of personality.

"Dear Diary,
There's a stick up my butt. I hate my life." (p. 13 - unpaged)

Still. I was dismayed to read the vitriolic words Huggie writes about his traveling companion. Do we really want picture books for younger children to present this kind of rude and angry commentary?

Maybe it's a book that is better used with an older audience who can chuckle at the dichotomy of the two perceptions.

I don't know.

I grew up watching clueless and happy Ernie contract with irritated and precise Bert; sweet Big Bird interact with sourpuss Oscar the Grouch. Maybe this is more of the same.

I guess I'll just get off my soapbox now.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Laugh out loud diary entries from two perspectives. From the cover, you can see optimistic Stick and his grumpy pessimist friend Huggie. Some of the humor will be appreciated by older kids and lost on the younger. There will no doubt also be some adults who find some of the humor inappropriate while kids are laughing about Huggie's butt. Pirates, pandas, piranhas and more make life difficult for Huggie and a grand adventure for Stick. The artwork is bold and colorful. Great book to talk about perspective, but I would explore the continents further. Kids can imagine further epic adventures of Huggie and Stick as they find themselves once again adrift at the end of the book.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars
Great for older readers, think some of this would be lost on the younger crowd. Got to say at the start I was super not sure about this as there is a LOT going on (the pages are SUPER busy), but the humor crept up on me, plus it has a page of pirates, so I am bumping it up half a star. I really enjoyed the contrasting viewpoints--the little asides and the snarkiness kept me going all the way to the end--though I groaned at the ending.

[Jj · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly my cup of tea here, but I think young readers will enjoy it. The traditional odd couple here takes the form of a stick and a stuffed animal here. I do like the diary/letter-writing element, and I think the idea found here--presenting two varying account/perspectives of the same events--would make for an excellent classroom tool to talk about perspective, opinion, and bias with kids.

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Huggie and Stick fall from an open zipper from Reese's backpack, and due to the accidental bump on the sidewalk the adventure of their lives takes them around the world. As this story unfolds it is told from two different perspectives, it is filled with gleeful joy, or a pessimistic nightmare. Read and decide for yourself.

[Michele Knott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous tale that older readers are going to really enjoy! Another fun read for thinking about perspective.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great book to study for learning about voice! I love the two different personalities of the main characters that come through in the letters they write. It’s really fun to see two different perspectives on the same experience. The illustrations are great and add to the fun, especially the little doodle drawings on the letters. I can see this being a big hit with kids because it's so funny!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the different perspectives. It is a lot like how people (children) see things. It shows the positive view and the negative way of looking at a situation. I think it will be a great addition to k5 classroom this year.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read involving conflicting diary entries.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny in a very silly way.

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious story of the adventures of Huggie and Stick told from two opposing points of view

[Slom]

dear diary I got a stick on my but

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story and illustrations work together for a tale that will have you and your kid both giggling. Bonus points for spork usage. My kid wants his own copy of this one.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super funny. Very boy-oriented but I (a girl) really enjoyed the hilarity. It’s told in diary form and may not be suitable for small children as it’s a bit violent.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fun for young and old in picture book format.

[Christina Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book might best be suited for older readers (3rd-5th grade) as the humor may go over the heads of younger students. I like that it gets the reader thinking about perspective. Stick has a happy disposition and Huggie just can't seem to catch a break (which likely explains his permanent grimace). There was a page that threw me off a bit though and is the reason why I would probably forgo a read aloud. It's when Huggie says, "Dear Diary, There's a stick up my butt. I hate my life." The illustration actually makes it look like part of Stick's head is up Huggie's butt. As much as I wanted to love this book, because of how much I enjoyed reading The Day the Crayons Quit and The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors with my students, this one just isn't my cup of tea.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of Huggie and Stick are told in diary format from each character’s point of view. Stick is an eternal optimist, always seeing the best in every situation. Huggie, on the other hand, is a delight of a pessimist and is regularly complaining and seeing all of the problems surrounding them. As the two friends make their way around the world and visit each continent, readers will delight in the humor on the page and enjoy the way the two points of view show the same voyage from very differing points of view.

Daywalt has a way with humor, creating wonderful timing on each page. He knows when to use plenty of text and other times to let the humor just sit for a moment on the page. The juxtaposition of the two characters is written with flair. Readers may at first be drawn to Stick the optimist but by the end I was entirely in Huggie’s camp as he bore the brunt of the journey. The humor is all the better for the illustrations which show Huggie steadily falling apart on their journey and the ramshackle ways that Stick helps patch him back together.

A journey definitely worth taking, this one would be great to share aloud with elementary-age children. Appropriate for ages 5-7.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Huggie & Stick take a tumble from Reese’s backpack and into the ocean, they begin a round-the-world adventure to return home.

Fair warning: I adore Drew Daywalt and I shove The Day the Crayons Quit into every willing (and some reluctant who thank me later) parent’s hands. I could not believe I hadn’t read all his work and I rectified that !

The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick was epic fun. I had a laugh-out-loud snort moment and smiled my way through the friends’ (??) recollection of their journey across the continents. It was pure fun that my librarian brain also linked with the thought of “Oh, what a fun book to incorporate in geography lessons!” Not only was the story clever and catchy but the artwork delighted and added detail to the adventure.

I’ll be adding this to my trove of “Daywalt books to shove in parents’ hands”!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

The differing perspectives of eternally cheerful Stick and curmudgeonly Huggie are done to full laugh-out-loud effect. This book is the definition of Hilarious!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made my son and me laugh. We enjoyed this book.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick” is exactly what the title promises. It is the story of two toys who belong to a boy named Reese. After a short paragraph providing the set up for the story it is told mainly through diary entries from the point of view of our two main characters. Stick is a stick who is eternally upbeat, no matter what occurs during their journey. Huggie is a grumpy stuffed rabbit who, while having a more realistic assessment of the events they go through, seems to be miserable no matter the path their journey takes. He even hates Stick. Stick, however, believes Huggie to be his best friend. The story is comical, and the snarky comments by Huggie can be laugh out loud funny, especially when juxtaposed with Stick’s upbeat cheerful accounts of their adventure. The pair adventure through all seven continents, briefly touching on various features of each continent. Although many descriptions of the continents are brief with minimal details, they include enough detail to identify them, especially for children just learning about the seven continents. While the text and character design is excellent, where the book really shines is the illustrations. The illustrator, David Spencer, steals the show. Every page has large colorful illustrations conveying as much if not more information and humor as the text does. It is drawn almost in the same style as a cartoon strip. Exaggerated characters and color palates make every page catch the eye of the reader. The text is often placed on what appears to be pieces of paper, and in one instance a band-aid wrapper. This brings a sense of immersion to the text, as opposed to standing out from the illustrations it becomes just another piece of the full page imagery. An Easter egg for those who do not skip straight to the first page of the story there is a map on the just inside cover and then the same map with a drawn path on the inside back cover. I would recommend this book to children who can read on their own, or to be used as a read aloud story book for children 2nd grade and up. Despite the cartoonish nature of the imagery it may be frightening to younger students, and some language may be questionable for less mature young children. If a parent or teacher reads through it beforehand and feels it's appropriate for younger ages, then it can be an excellent introduction to the continents of our world. Between the comical text and the supporting illustrations I find this to be an excellent read aloud book for children even into early middle school.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Huggie (stuffed rabbit & committed pessimist...slightly unlucky), and Stick (a stick & eternal optimist...also slightly naive), fall out of Reese's backpack, they get swept away on an epic adventure to all the continents of the world as they try to get home.

Oh my goodness, when that title says epic, it means epic! That was one wild and crazy, highly improbable and extremely entertaining adventure. I love reading about each continent's adventure through the perspectives of both Stick's diary and Huggie's diary entries. They provide a great example on how two characters can view the same events in completely different ways. They also demonstrate the way pessimists and optimists kind of have self-fulfilling prophecies. If they think things are going to be awful, they'll see everything as awful. If they think things are going to be wonderful, they'll see everything as an amazing adventure. It's a great time to talk about attitude and how it can affect everything you do. That said, you could definitely argue that Stick needs a little more self-preservation and street smarts if he wants to survive. Most of all, though, readers will enjoy the riotously funny contrasts of their experiences and the very imaginative things that happen as they travel around the world. Highly recommended.

Notes on content: Some adults will want to know that Huggie uses the word hate frequently and at one point literally has a stick up his butt and says so in those words.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the author of "The Day the Crayons Quit", comes a humorous "buddy" book. This story is full of contrasts: positive outlook vs. negative outlook; adventure vs. trials; etc. Huggie sees life full of challenges and danger. His stark reality is that bad things WILL happen and must be endured and he suffers through it. Stick is quite the opposite and appears oblivious to the bad around him and sees life as exciting and full of glorious adventure. Together, Huggie and Stick must survive an unexpected mishap and they tell their stories in letter form. Though they experience the same things, they have very different points of view. My one disappointment is that neither learn from each other. Stick is so over-the-top positive that he misses the suffering that Huggie is going through. Huggie is so dismal and gloomy, that he never learns to see the bright side and experience any joy. Hopefully, if this becomes a series, the characters will learn and grow in upcoming books. Despite this, the story could open up some interesting discussions with students on opposites, differing points of view, and co-existence with people who see the world differently from us.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed a lot at this one. It reminds me very much of those dog vs cat diary memes. You know: "Today. Sunny. My favorite thing! The ball! My favorite thing! A walk! My favorite thing!" vs "Day 1076 of imprisonment. My captors insist on cooing and giggling at me. My revenge will come". That sort of thing. Huggie and Stick were such strong and such opposite personalities that it was a hoot reading their different views on their travels. Plus all the silly details in the pictures!

This one is a great one-on-one read. Plenty to see in the pictures and a good chance for silly voices. This might be a fun story to adapt to a puppet show, but for a more basic storytime, it's the type of narrative that takes a good bit more work to adapt to read to a group. Plus, it's harder to appreciate all the details in the pictures. Still, it could be a fun puppet show - the characters are just such strong personalities.