FICTION

Bug on a Bike

by Chris MONROE
illus. by Chris Monroe. 32p. ebook available. Carolrhoda. Oct. 2014. lib. ed. $16.95. ISBN 9781467721547. LC 2013048153.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—In this kooky cumulative tale, a ladybug on a bike announces, "It's time to go now." A motley parade of friends follows him as he pedals down roads and up hills and through a forest, despite not knowing "where we're going or when we'll be back." Monroe's quirky ink-and-watercolor cartoons showcase small vignettes of the many odd characters, including ants rolling on a log, an "athletic pickle" pumping iron, and a lizard baking pies in an amphibian-shaped kiln. The rhyming verse takes a long, circuitous route to get to the punch line: "Well look at the time./ We're not late, we're not tardy./ It's my Bug Birthday Party!" This rambling adventure sometimes spins its wheels.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
A helmeted ladybug rides a bike through a busy neighborhood populated by bugs and animals, an "athletic pickle," a nickel, etc., inviting them all to follow him to a mysterious locale. The rhyming text is pleasing, if somewhat forced at times. Young readers will delight in noticing the myriad details in the quirky, Richard Scarry–like watercolor and ink illustrations.
Reviewed by Linda Ludke , Aug 01, 2014

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