Sticky Burr

Sticky Burr by John Lechner (Candlewick Press)

Sarah says: Sticky Burr is about a sticky burr (duh). He lives in Burrwood Forest with his best friend, Mossy Burr, and his enemy is Scurvy Burr. His dragonfly friend is Draffle and he helps Sticky by flying him around when he’s in trouble. They get along really well. There’s also a grasshopper that teaches Mossy Burr karate. You can tell which burr is which because Scurvy Burr has a hair on the top of his head, Mossy Burr has a bow, and Sticky has a big part in the middle of his hair…I mean stickers…oh, I don’t know, but he has a part. The first part of the story is about Scurvy being mean, the second part is about rescuing fireflies from inside a maze tree, and the last part is about trying to get the wild dogs out of Burr Village. This book has a lot of little things in it – some of them are Sticky Burr’s journal pages about the creatures and places in Burrwood Forest. Another thing I like is the song in the back called “Stuck in a Tree.” I tried to play it on the piano and I like to sing it. Sticky Burr is more like a kids’ book. It’s good for kids in elementary school.

Shelby says: Sticky Burr is for younger kids because the dialog is very simple and easy to read. It sounds childish to me. The character designs are really simple but some of the backgrounds of the forest are complex and painted well. I liked the idea of the maze tree and the little tiny village – it’s adorable because everything is so tiny. It’s cute and I like it, but it just seems like it’s for a younger audience.

Tracy says: Sticky Burr is definitely written for kids. It’s silly and sweet and the characters are charming. The character designs are very simple, so kids will enjoy drawing Sticky and his friends themselves – there is plenty here for kids to expand on in their own Burrwood Forest tales. The story is told in traditional paneled comic pages, but Lechner mixes it up by also including large splash pages, Sticky’s “diary” pages, a “newspaper,” and even a song, which I think will help hold young readers’ attention. It’s a nice amalgamation of picture book, comic, and activity book that younger kids will really enjoy. I recommend Sticky Burr for early elementary readers.

Sticky Burr started as a black and white webcomic, but the book is a completely new story in full color. Visit the Sticky Burr website for mucho goodies, including Sticky’s journal, games, and the Sticky Burr theme song.