Shannon serves up a sunny blend of humor and action in this delightful tale of a Duck who spies a red bicycle one day and gets "a wild idea." Sure enough, in no time flat, he's tooling around the farmyard. A succession of his barnyard friends greet him politely enough, but their private responses range from scornful ("That's the silliest thing I've ever seen," from Cow) to boastful ("You're still not as fast as me," from Horse) to wistful ("I wish I could ride a bike just like Duck," from Mouse). Then a herd of kids rides down the road in a blur of dust; they park their bikes and head indoors. A wordless spread records the sublime moment when the animals all gather with identical wide-eyed looks and sly smiles. Readers can almost see what they're thinking, and sure enough, the next spread shows them all zipping around on bikes, with Duck in the lead. Shannon makes the most of awkward appendages on wheels and handlebars, and deftly balances clean compositions with just the right amount of detail. Varying perspectives including the chicken's-eye-view of Duck's bike wheel looming large provide plenty of good-natured dash. Add to all this the abundant opportunity for youngsters to chime in with barnyard responses ("M-o-o-o"; "Cluck! Cluck!"), and the result is one swell read-aloud, packed with freewheeling fun. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Ages 3-6. One day, Duck gets an idea: "I bet I could ride a bike." And as thought is father to action, he is soon teetering around the farm on a bicycle. He rides past the animals, each with its own thoughts about bike riding: the cow thinks it's silly; the sheep is sure Duck will hurt himself; Dog considers it a neat trick; the cat can't be bothered. On a more personal note, the horse is sure he's faster than the bike, and the goat would like to eat it. Then some kids park their bikes near the house, and the animals suddenly become a lot more interested in bike riding: they all jump on and take a spin around the yard. The double-page spread of the cow, pig, horse, et al., pedaling away (some looking particularly fetching in helmets) is worth the price of the book. In fact, this whole bright book is tons of fun. The oversize format nicely accommodates Shannon's sly art, which fills up the pages. Each animal has a distinctive expression that can be easily seen by kids in the back row at story hour--the perfect place to share this exuberant piece. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2--When Duck finds an unattended bike, he is sure that he can ride it. And so he does, a bit wobbly at first, but then with increasing confidence until he is soaring with no "hands." As he passes each barnyard animal, they return his greeting but have secret thoughts of their own, ranging from scorn to envy. When some children leave their bikes by the house, it isn't hard to guess what the animals will do. This delightful story will have youngsters chiming in on the repeated phrases and predicting, in no time, what will happen next, and the many animal sounds provide ample opportunities for role-playing. Shannon's brightly colored spreads are filled with humor. There are delicious close-ups of the animals as Duck pedals by them. Cow's huge head, turned in amazement toward his friend, fills a page. Cat nonchalantly grooms herself with an "I can't be bothered attitude" as Duck rides on. The animals' antics on the bikes are hilarious. Little Chicken rides a tricycle, the Pigs sport a bicycle built for two, Goat can't resist eating the basket as he rides, and tiny Mouse hitches a lift on Duck's handlebars. That would be grand finale enough, but then Duck spies a tractor-. For a look at another unconventional barnyard adventure, pair this charming offering with Paul B. Johnson's The Cow Who Wouldn't Come Down (Orchard, 1993).
2.My Dad (with audio)
3.My Mum (with audio)
4.Something From Nothing
5.iNo David
6.David Gets in Trouble (with audio)
7.David Gets in Trouble
8.Duck on a Bike
9.Swimmy
10.Little Blue and Little Yellow
11.Rosie's Walk
12.When the Wind Stops
13.Starry Messenger GALILEO · GALILEI
14.DIARY OF A WORM
15.you're All my Favourites
16.MIRETTE ON THE HIGH WIRE
17.THE STORY ABOUT PING
18.The Tiny Seed
19. Mr. hippocampus
20.Pumpkin Soup
21.Play with Me
22.Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
23.Good Night, Gorilla
24.Make Way for Ducklings
25.John Patrick Norman McHennessy
26.Mr Gumpy's Outing
27.Mr Gumpy's Motor Car
28.Where Willy Went
29.Badger's Parting Gifts
30.Owl Moon
31.A Color of His Own
32.One Fine Day
33.The Very Hungry Caterpillar
34.The Runaway Bunny
35.Miss Rumphius
36.Giraffes Can not Dance
37.The Gruffalo's Child
38.Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
39.Matthew's Dream
40.The Alphabet Tree
41.Good-Night, Owl!
42. A TREE IS NICE
43.inch by inch
44.It's Mine!
45.The giving tree
46.Chanticleer and the Fox
47.Stone Soup [3-8 years]
48.I'll Always Love You
49. I Like Me
50.Harris Finds His Feet
51.Now One Foot, Now the Other
52.The Feel Good Book
53.The I LOVE YOU Book
54.Froggy Gets Dressed
55. The Gruffalo
56.We're Going on a Bear Hunt
57.Puss in Boots
58.Cinderella
59.Grandfathers Journey
60.Voices In The Park
61. Good boy Fergus
62.Would You Rather
63.Strega Nona
64.Nicolas, Where Have You Been
65.The Mommy Book
66.Mooncake
67.what do you do with a tail like this?
68.Moongame
69.White Snow, Bright Snow
70.Courage
71.me and you
72.Do You Want to be My Friend?
73.When Sophie Gets Angry
74.Goodnight Moon
75.Shadow
76.The Carrot Seed
77.The Daddy Book
78.Happy Birthday, Moon
79.Harquin
80.The Snowy Day
81.A Chair for My Mother
82.The Bremen Town Musicians
83.Raven
84.Does a kangaroo have a mother, too
85.Changes Changes
86Tico and the Golden Wings
87.Polar Bear
88.Goldilocks
89.My Daddy and Me
90.Three Wolves
91.Roosters off to See World
92.The Tiger-Skin Rug
93.Chrysanthemum
94.Whose Mouse Are You
95.1, 2, 3 to the Zoo
96.why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears
97.Today is Monday
98.Olivia (Classic Board Books)
99.Can't you sleep, Little Bear?
100.The Snowman
101.Papa Please Get the Moon for Me
102.Brown Bear, What Do You See
103.The Dot
104 Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type
105 Ask Mr. Bear
106 Lon Po Po
107 Let's Go Home, Little Bear
108 Draw Me a Star
109 When I Was Young in the Mountains
110 The Egg Tree
111 What Game Shall We Play
112 Prayer for A Child
113 Things I Like
114 Owl Babies Board book
115 Corduroy (Puffin Storytime)
116 Granpa
117 Clocks and More Clocks
118 The Wind Blew
119 The Surprise Party