Top 100 Picture Books #98: Duck On a Bike by David Shannon

#98 Duck On a Bike by David Shannon (2002)
20 points

I can read this one over and over at storytime. Kids love it. – Angela Reynolds

I confess that I’ve read this book in storytimes so many times that I pretty much have it memorized.  So basically, if anyone wants me to do an impromptu reading of Duck On a Bike at their next cocktail party, I’m your woman.

PW describes the book this way, “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.”

It’s weird, but you kind of expect some sort of comeuppance for Duck.  I mean, talk about thumbing your nose at the gods.  He stands up on the seat!  No hands (slash wings)!  When I read this book to some kids the literal-minded amongst them express some concern that Duck is not wearing a helmet.  I tell them that they have a very good point.  Perhaps the rules for ducks are different?  They’re not buying it.

PW said of it, “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.”

Booklist took it one step further, giving the book a star and saying, “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.”

Horn Book was loquacious with its praise. “Rarely have the familiar barnyard animals been reiterated in a picture book with such panache. From the title page-a duck’s-eye view of our hero Duck regarding a parked bike with wild surmise-to the final image of his potential next ride (a tractor), the simple events are developed with creativity, good humor, and skill.”

The starred Kirkus Review, alas, ended with, “A ‘quackerjack’ of a terrific escapade.” *groan*

• Be sure to check out Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-a-Day post on the title.

• And check out this kinda crazy mural of the book made for a baby’s room.

Finally, I saw that this video had a lot of views on the old YouTube.  There’s a reason.  Child readers are hard to come by.  This one’s really quite good.

Filed under: Best Books, Top 100 Picture Books Poll