Stikky Books Review: Great for Outdoorsy Kids!
Learn more about the outdoors with the adorable and easy to read Stikky book series.
These small guidebooks are unlike others on the market, thanks to their bold page designs and the digestible way that the material is presented.
There are currently two Stikky Books available, Stikky Tracks and Stikky Night Skies, and both are engaging, fun ways to teach your kids (or yourself!) something new about nature.
The 2 Stikky books have quickly become favorites of my children, who are always on the lookout for kid-friendly science and nature books.
In the review below, you’ll get to view photos of the insides of the books, learn detailed information about the content of each, and see why these need to be added to your library of guidebooks.
The 2 current Stikky books
This post contains affiliates. If you purchase through the links below, I will receive a commission at no charge to you.
I was provided a copy of these books by Stikky for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
What are Stikky books?
Stikky books are meant to foster curiosity in people—and to help you learn so easily that it doesn’t even feel like learning.
Both of the Stikky books are created so that you can quickly learn detailed information. They accomplish this by providing small bits of information that slowly build on one another until you come away with a fairly comprehensive overview of the topic at hand.
Per the Stikky.com website:
“Our pattern-based learning method is the perfect introduction to a topic that interests you. It’s specifically designed to not just click in the moment, but stick for good.”
The text is bold, and the logic in each is easy to follow, so anyone can pick these books up and start learning immediately.
Stikky Tracks and Stikky Night Skies
I’ve found that understanding the sciences—biology, geology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, and the like—needs this approach or you’ll quickly get discouraged from the sheer weight of all of the information.
Plus, most of us aren’t looking to become astrophysicists or wildlife biologists. We’re just interested in discovering more about the world around us so we can enrich our family’s time outdoors.
This book series does just that. Within the time it took me to read the two books (about 45 minutes or so each), I learned dozens of new things about the nighttime sky, constellations, animal tracks, and animal identification.
While I’ve always liked biology, I haven’t taken a formal science course since high school, so the fact that I could easily pick up that information is a testament to how well these books are written. Honestly, if my AP Biology textbook had been written this way, I’d have aced that test!
Stikky books were first published in the early 2000s, and you can still find some of those original versions on Amazon. The originals explored a range of subjects, including stock charts, weight management, and trees.
The newer Stikky books, published in 2023, are the two I’m reviewing here: Stikky Night Skies and Stikky Tracks. While these newer books focus on different topics, the company’s attention to detail and desire to provide easy-to-understand information has remained over the years.
These books are part guidebook, part picture book, and part nature walk, all wrapped up in a small, easy to hold textured cover. While they’re great for kids, and my 7-year-old is often found wandering the house with one or both in his hands, I found them compelling, too.
If you’re looking for something small but robust to add to your collection of kid-friendly guidebooks and nature pamphlets, these are excellent. Remember: adding education into your outdoor adventures is a great way to make hiking fun for kids!
Stikky Night Skies Review
It’s time to learn under the night sky! With this Stikky book, you’ll have an entirely new appreciation for the stars above you.
NOTE: This book is labeled as the first in the series, but you don’t need to read them in any specific order.
The Stikky Night Sky book is divided into 3 sections:
Sequence one presents the most common constellations, their positions in the sky, and tips for how to find them consistently.
Sequence two expands on that information, adding in new constellations and additional charts.
The epilogue gives you a chance to put that. newfound knowledge to the test, with a series of quiz-style questions designed to reinforce what was covered elsewhere in the book.
At the end of the book are some resources for expanding upon this knowledge. There are suggestions on what equipment you can invest in to create your own astronomer’s kit, with options are various price points depending on how serious you and your kids are.
There are lists of observatories from around the country, relevant podcasts and YouTube videos, and phone apps that further help you chart the night sky. There is a list of books on the topic, but only a couple were suggestions for kids. I’d love to see a separate list for science-minded kids here like there is in the Stikky Tracks book (below).
I loved that there is the option to cut out the 2 copies of the US star chart on the last pages of the book. I plan to laminate these and add them to my kids’ hiking and camping packs for us to use as a reference guide the next time we’re stargazing.
Stikky Tracks Review
When we’re hiking, my kids and I constantly see different animals tracks, though we’re not great at identifying them.
That’s where this Stikky book comes in!
In this 240 page book, you’ll learn how to identify 14 different animals by their tracks. It’s broken into 3 sections, each of which is focused on slowly but steadily building concepts.
Sequence one looks at the most common prints of canines and felines. These are easy since many of us own dogs or cats, so identifying wolves or bobcat prints is just one step further.
Sequence two adds additional tracks to your memory bank and shows other ways of ID’ing animals that have been in the vicinity.
Finally, the epilogue takes you on a “hike” through the woods so you can test your newfound knowledge.
I am a visual learner, so I appreciated the many photos of actual animal tracks alongside detailed notes on the specific characteristics of each. When the book covers a species that has similar tracks to another, it carefully lists out the ways you can differentiate them.
As with the Stikky Night Skies, Stikky Tracks uses a spiral teaching method: you learn a concept, dive more deeply into it, then review that information throughout the rest of the book.
At the end of the book, you’ll find additional resources so you can build on the information here. You’ll find lists of regionally specific animals for you to learn more about, and there are suggested books by other authors.
The introduction to the final section
I appreciated that those suggested books include suggestions for both adults and children, so that anyone interested in the topic can learn more.
The last few pages of the book can be cut out and laminated so that you can take them with you on your next hike. These pages include illustrated examples of all 14 tracks covered in the book.
Final Thoughts on the Stikky Books
These are quick reads for a variety of ages that are packed with information.
The bold pictures and full color illustrations ensure that even the youngest nature aficianados will be drawn to this book, but the learning opportunities in each book is ageless.
If you’re looking for an addition to your kid’s science library, or as a small gift to a nature obsessed friend, these books are excellent choices. The low price point (around $12 as of the writing of this post) makes it even more attractive as a gift.
The information included in each book is high quality, thanks to the experts who wrote and the scientifically tested way of presenting big ideas in small bites.
For the science-minded or outdoorsy kid in your life, you absolutely cannot go wrong with one or both of these books!
