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Stick
Stick is a frog who likes to do things on his own—with no help from Mom. But one day he gets carried away . . . literally. His tongue accidentally sticks to a dragonfly when he tries to catch a mosquito, and off he’s pulled across the swamp, through town, and into the big city of New Orleans, causing some very funny havoc along the way. When he finds himself stranded at the seashore, far from his mom, will he finally be ready to ask for help?
Author/illustrator Steve Breen is a Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Grand Avenue. Stick, his picture-book debut, is rambunctious, silly, and couldn’t be more endearing.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
March 15, 2010
Stick is about a small frog by the name of Stick. Stick likes to do things himself. Until on day, Stick tries to catch his own lunch. Maybe his eyes are too big for his stomach because Stick gets carried away - really carried away. He goes over the swamp, through a city and out to the ocean. Now Stick must find his way back.
Stick is a semi-wordless picture book. The illustrations tell much more of the story than the words so this a great book to share with your non-readers. You can make up your own mind what Stick is feeling as he flies through the air stuck to a dragonfly or balloons. The illustrations are beautiful and the expressions on the faces of the people, animals and Stick, as he is taken from one place to another, are delightful. I would recommend this to adults reading to those children who are getting ready to read but not quite there yet. Or for older children who like to make up the story themselves.
Stick is a semi-wordless picture book. The illustrations tell much more of the story than the words so this a great book to share with your non-readers. You can make up your own mind what Stick is feeling as he flies through the air stuck to a dragonfly or balloons. The illustrations are beautiful and the expressions on the faces of the people, animals and Stick, as he is taken from one place to another, are delightful. I would recommend this to adults reading to those children who are getting ready to read but not quite there yet. Or for older children who like to make up the story themselves.
December 14, 2008
Stick is a young frog who wants to do everything by himself! One day he tries to catch a passing bug and snags a dragonfly by mistake. The dragonfly pulls Stick up and away, out of the swamp, into a town and finally to the Jazz City itself. Stick eventually gets home again by asking for a little help. Wonderful illustrations carry the story with a minimum of text and Stick's independent spirit will endear him to kids. That his predicament is his own fault won't be missed either ;-) The final pages will have youngsters laughing out loud and demanding to read the book again! We checked this out of the library but I'm going to buy this to put under the Christmas tree!
June 14, 2008
I don't read that many picture books these days. Easter's outgrown them and sixth graders are way too cool for them. BUT this was a gorgeous book. So cute, but not icky cute, heart swelling cute. Cute in the best way. A little frog who goes flying all over the deep South in the fifties and then comes back home. Simple, sure, but very, very good. I want to buy it but I don't even know for what purpose, except to give those random first and second graders that wander upstairs a delicious little read aloud.
June 7, 2008
I must have this book for my library! What a cute story! I can't wait to read it at the next story time for our day care center kids. They're going to love it!
July 25, 2018
Stick is a little bayou frog with an independent streak. He likes to do things without Mom's help. But one day when he tries to catch a mosquito, his tongue sticks to a dragonfly and he's pulled up and away all over New Orleans having adventures. In the end, alone on a pier with the sun-setting, and desperate to get home to his mother, he learns to ask for help.
The story is told with barely any words at all through panels of action, like a graphic novel. Breen is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, and his skill is on full display. The art captures the eye with its breathtaking Louisiana swamp and New Orleans cityscape landscapes, all the while foregrounding the animal characters and showing the physical comedy and action easily. There is a lot going on, but it's still not too busy for my son Luke.
There is a good lesson here for the self-directed child, especially if wandering or elopement is a concern, as it is for both of my children in different ways. In reading this to my sons, I make sure to spend time emphasizing those final pages in which Stick realizes that he needs to ask for help to get home.
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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books for kids who really love frogs and toads: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/frogs-...
The story is told with barely any words at all through panels of action, like a graphic novel. Breen is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist, and his skill is on full display. The art captures the eye with its breathtaking Louisiana swamp and New Orleans cityscape landscapes, all the while foregrounding the animal characters and showing the physical comedy and action easily. There is a lot going on, but it's still not too busy for my son Luke.
There is a good lesson here for the self-directed child, especially if wandering or elopement is a concern, as it is for both of my children in different ways. In reading this to my sons, I make sure to spend time emphasizing those final pages in which Stick realizes that he needs to ask for help to get home.
---
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books for kids who really love frogs and toads: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/frogs-...
February 23, 2019
I read this when it first came out and I was eager to read it again. Stick is a little frog with lots of independence and extremely sticky tongue with bad aim. Stick is hungry and aims at a small mosquito but hits a large dragonfly and his tongue sticks and the adventure begins as he is lifted up and away. There are short sentences throughout but the story is in the pictures. That is why I categorized it as wordless book when it does have some words. So the reader will have have to fill in the gap themselves. It starts in the swamps of Louisiana and the adventure continues through the streets of New Orleans and circles back to the swamp through a series of different modes of transportation. And just when you think the story is over there is a twist in the tale.
ACTIVITY: Can you come up with a few more ways of transportation that Stick could have encountered? Or would there have been different things if he had been in another state like Alaska (I'm thinking moose). Can you write a sequel about Stick's new situation at the end of the book?
Pair this title with David Wiesner's TUESDAY
ACTIVITY: Can you come up with a few more ways of transportation that Stick could have encountered? Or would there have been different things if he had been in another state like Alaska (I'm thinking moose). Can you write a sequel about Stick's new situation at the end of the book?
Pair this title with David Wiesner's TUESDAY
Read
April 25, 2024A few phrases per page. About a frog named Stick who likes to do things by himself. He gets pulled away on an adventure through different places (swamp, city, country, past restaurants, cars, bikes, by balloon, plane, etc) and then he asks for help, and a bird helps drop him off home. Then he tries to eat a firefly and he has a different problem! The illustrations are really detailed – they have a nice watercolor-feel with a lot of outlining (you can even see the reflection of the flies in the frog’s eyes).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2020
A cute little story that is mostly portrayed through the pictures (each page has multiple panels). A frog with a sticky tongue gets caught on a dragonfly and goes on an adventure to the city, the country, the seashore, etc! I love the picture of the frog landing on the face of the motorcycle rider and him screaming. Some of the illustrative panels have quite a lot of detail in them.
February 15, 2019
I absolutely loved this story. The illustrations make the book and the watercolors are beautiful. Even though you can do things by yourself, or try to do by yourself, it's a journey and if you ever get lost, it's okay to ask for help. You'll find your way home. SOOO cute! XD
July 11, 2023
I loved the illustrations in this book...very expressive. I wasn't as big a fan of the story line. It is fun and makes you think about the frog's journey but just didn't strike me.
A fun little book.
A fun little book.
September 12, 2017
Perseverance!
December 13, 2017
A delightful journey with beautiful illustrations. So fun and clever.
May 15, 2018
This is a very fun, almost wordless picture book. There are enough words to carry the story, while at the same time the pictures do a really good job of telling the story.
August 4, 2018
This book is super cute!! I loved the illustrations and the end was adorable. A quick, easy, must read.
January 25, 2023
I love the art. The story is a little too simple. A frog keeps getting stuck to animals or objects and gets carried around the southern part of Louisiana.
August 18, 2023
Loved this one! It lined up perfectly with studying dragonflies and the U.S.A., but was funny and very visual. Both my 2 and 5 year old loved it and wanted it re-read right away!
February 20, 2026
Stick the frog is taken on a bayou adventure when his tongue gets stuck to a dragonfly.
May 5, 2015
Title: Stick
Author: Steve Breen
Illustrator: Steve Breen
Publisher/Date: Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)/ 3/1/2007
Pages/Format: 40/ Hardcover
ISBN: 9780803731248
Stick is a frog who likes to do things on his own - with no help from Mom. But one day he gets carried away...literally. His tongue accidentally sticks to a dragonfly when he tries to catch a mosquito, and off he's pulled across the swamp, through town, and into the big city of New Orleans, causing some very funny havoc along the way. When he finds himself stranded at the seashore, far from his mom, will he finally be ready to ask for help?
Stick is a very independent frog, however he is also very clumsy and accident prone. Trying to show his mother how independent he is, he climbs a bit up a tree and jumps...right onto the back of a turtle floating in the water near them.
While trying to get a fly for lunch his tongue meets a huge dragonfly and he is whisked off on an adventure. Running in front of a flying duck, through the mouth of a crocodile, past a cat and some sheets, through a window, into a town with a jazz band playing in the streets. Stick manages to keep going on his adventure out of the swamp. After falling off the dragonfly, he plops into the face of a horse, thrown into the air and attaches to some balloons, where he then floats off making his way to a moving car's windshield. When thrown from the windshield by the wipers, Stick then makes his way by motorcycle, plane, and seagull before finally landing by himself of a dock on the water. As Stick watches the sunset, he begins to finally ask for some true help getting home. Finally returning to his home, Stick manages to finally catch dinner in the form of a firefly and lights up the area near his mother....oops!
Steven Breen does an excellent job taking you on this amazing adventure of accidents from a swamp through New Orleans and back again. With vibrant colors and detail, everything is clearly understood easy to follow. There are so many actions happening on every page that there will be something that will stand out for everyone differently.
Steven Breen, not only conveyed the swamps of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans beautifully but also planned a trip for research the very week that Hurricane Katrina hit. In honor of all those who lost their lives and homes, Steven Breen gave a portion of his royalties to a Katrina-related disaster-relief organization.
I recommend for any one who finds Louisiana and the eco-system of swamps beautiful and interesting, as well as, anyone who enjoys frogs. Stick is also a great book to show and teach great odds and what can be accomplished by asking for help.
originally posted: http://tiffanyfoxbooks.blogspot.com/2...
Author: Steve Breen
Illustrator: Steve Breen
Publisher/Date: Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)/ 3/1/2007
Pages/Format: 40/ Hardcover
ISBN: 9780803731248
Stick is a frog who likes to do things on his own - with no help from Mom. But one day he gets carried away...literally. His tongue accidentally sticks to a dragonfly when he tries to catch a mosquito, and off he's pulled across the swamp, through town, and into the big city of New Orleans, causing some very funny havoc along the way. When he finds himself stranded at the seashore, far from his mom, will he finally be ready to ask for help?
Stick is a very independent frog, however he is also very clumsy and accident prone. Trying to show his mother how independent he is, he climbs a bit up a tree and jumps...right onto the back of a turtle floating in the water near them.
While trying to get a fly for lunch his tongue meets a huge dragonfly and he is whisked off on an adventure. Running in front of a flying duck, through the mouth of a crocodile, past a cat and some sheets, through a window, into a town with a jazz band playing in the streets. Stick manages to keep going on his adventure out of the swamp. After falling off the dragonfly, he plops into the face of a horse, thrown into the air and attaches to some balloons, where he then floats off making his way to a moving car's windshield. When thrown from the windshield by the wipers, Stick then makes his way by motorcycle, plane, and seagull before finally landing by himself of a dock on the water. As Stick watches the sunset, he begins to finally ask for some true help getting home. Finally returning to his home, Stick manages to finally catch dinner in the form of a firefly and lights up the area near his mother....oops!
Steven Breen does an excellent job taking you on this amazing adventure of accidents from a swamp through New Orleans and back again. With vibrant colors and detail, everything is clearly understood easy to follow. There are so many actions happening on every page that there will be something that will stand out for everyone differently.
Steven Breen, not only conveyed the swamps of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans beautifully but also planned a trip for research the very week that Hurricane Katrina hit. In honor of all those who lost their lives and homes, Steven Breen gave a portion of his royalties to a Katrina-related disaster-relief organization.
I recommend for any one who finds Louisiana and the eco-system of swamps beautiful and interesting, as well as, anyone who enjoys frogs. Stick is also a great book to show and teach great odds and what can be accomplished by asking for help.
originally posted: http://tiffanyfoxbooks.blogspot.com/2...
February 13, 2017
This book was so cute. Stick's mishaps had me cracking up the whole time. My only quibble is how he got home: I'm pretty sure that bird would have eaten him, rather than giving him a ride back to his mom.
October 2, 2012
In this book we meet a young frog, Stick, who was very independent...much to Mother Frog's chagrin. He insists on doing everything by himself, which doesn't always work out. My storytime audience laughed at his failed attempts and then loved following him on his great adventure; hungry, he tries to catch lunch...a dragonfly which catches him! He flies far from the swamp he calls home, even being carried through New Orleans by Mr. Dragonfly. He then bounces off of windshields and bikers, gets chased by dogs and knife wielding chefs, and gets carried away by balloons. Finally, Stick, "who like to do things all by himself" realizes he needs help. He asks, and receives, help to get home and is back with mom on his lilly pad just as the moon is rising. Charming story that reminds the reader that we all need a little help sometime.
November 15, 2022
Whimsical illustrations with great details! The illustrations are so great that there isn't much need for the text. In fact, I think Steve Breen should write some wordless books! I would love to read them.
Stick, even as a baby frog, is a character we all recognize. He doesn't plan to get in trouble, but always seems to fall directly into one adventure after another.
My favorite illustration is a chef peering out at Stick from behind a sign advertising "FROG LEGS" as today's special. In the next picture, he is chasing after Stick who is escaping via a colorful bunch of balloons.
Stick, even as a baby frog, is a character we all recognize. He doesn't plan to get in trouble, but always seems to fall directly into one adventure after another.
My favorite illustration is a chef peering out at Stick from behind a sign advertising "FROG LEGS" as today's special. In the next picture, he is chasing after Stick who is escaping via a colorful bunch of balloons.
June 22, 2008
Stick is very independent. This little frog doesn't want any help from his mother. But one day things get a little out of control when he attempts to eat a mosquito and ends up being dragged away by a dragonfly! He gets dragged out of the swamp and into the city where he has all kinds of adventures!
Cute book with fun illustrations. Read this to a four-year-old who had fun picking out Stick on each page (sometimes it's a little difficult). Fun book--I only wish there were a few more printed words for the story. Otherwise, a grat read!
Cute book with fun illustrations. Read this to a four-year-old who had fun picking out Stick on each page (sometimes it's a little difficult). Fun book--I only wish there were a few more printed words for the story. Otherwise, a grat read!
June 1, 2010
I thought for sure that I had reviewed this one before, as it has been a favorite for a long time, but I can't find it in tags, so I guess not. Stick is a little frog who wants to do things on his own. Most of the story is told in the pictures. The author successfully did what the Punk Farm author tried for. I do get tired of reading this 70 billion times a day, but I still like it, because it is so sweet and well done. Plus it makes Moira so ridiculously happy when we read it.
September 29, 2008
This a lovely, cute little book with great illustrations! I love the swamp/bayou landscape mixed with a visit to New Orleans and the Mississippi River. Stick is a little frog who travels 1st by hitching a ride on the tail of a dragonfly, but later also balloons, a plane and a seagull. A fun story to share.
February 10, 2009
This book is totally cool. The pictures are great. I don't really loved books like this for bed time, because there aren't a whole lot of words. It's really a picture story, therefore difficult to "read" before bed. I just always feel awkward, and make up words myself. But the pictures are great and funny.
October 20, 2010
We love this book, especially my son who is almost three. The illustrations are beautiful, funny and capture our imagination. Written like a comic strip, we follow Stick as he goes on a wild adventure around the New Orleans area and tries to make his way back home to his mom. What a crazy ride! I think we may have to purchase this one.
March 4, 2016
A very simple story of few words about a little frog who liked to do things his way on his own. Unfortunately, when trying to catch a fly for lunch, his tongue gets stuck on a dragonfly who takes him for a ride far from home. After getting "stuck" on a variety of modes of transportation, the little frog discovers he needs to ask for help to get home.
Fun and humorous illustrations.
Fun and humorous illustrations.
March 16, 2008
Beautifully illustrated. Such a fun journey, with the suspense created by the narrative structure of someone taken from his home: How will he get back? I love the ending, an open ending that assures us that more trouble and fun lie ahead for this frog.
July 2, 2009
A cute story here about a frog named Stick who has an independent, adventurous streak! I really enjoyed the illustrations, which describe Stick's trip well without a lot of words (which would just cover up the nice illustrations here!).
September 12, 2009
This is a really cute book to do for a frog/swamp storytime. Stick the frog gets stuck to a dragonfly and goes on an adventure. It has an unexpected ending. I love the illustrations...they just make this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews