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I CANNOT DRAW A BICYCLE

Name: I CANNOT DRAW A BICYCLE
Author: Charise Mericle Harper
ISBN: 9781454945956

by Charise Mericle Harper ; illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2023

Witty, fourth-wall–breaking fun.

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In this sequel to I Cannot Draw a Horse (2022), an attempt to depict a bike results in hilarious chaos.

In the prequel, the offstage narrator was unable to draw a horse for a demanding feline protagonist, but in a twist, an equine character emerged by book’s end anyway. Harper closed that story with the horse wishing for a bicycle—a conclusion that serves as the catalyst for this picture book. Lo and behold, the narrator cannot draw a bicycle. Hijinks ensue as the horse and the skateboarding cat are confronted with substitutes, culminating in the revelation that no one—neither the narrator, the cat, nor the horse—actually knows what a bicycle looks like. It’s a silly surprise sure to inspire laughter in more knowledgeable readers. When attempts at making a bicycle fail, the pair decide to build a car from odds and ends provided by the narrator. Alas, “I cannot drive a car,” reads the last line of text, another punchline delivered by the horse. Will there be a trilogy with drivers ed steering the wheel of Book 3’s plot? Time will tell….As in the previous installment, Harper constructs characters out of simple shapes set against graph paper, giving the tale a DIY feel that will appeal to readers similarly uncertain about their own drawing prowess. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Witty, fourth-wall–breaking fun. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023

ISBN: 9781454945956

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM A GOOD FRIEND
by Charise Mericle Harper ; illustrated by Liz Climo

- BOOK REVIEW
WRONG FRIEND
by Charise Mericle Harper ; illustrated by Rory Lucey

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SHINDIG IS COMING!
by Charise Mericle Harper ; illustrated by Charise Mericle Harper

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)