Duck on a Bike

I got the for my girlfriend. She/ we collect bikes. We also have several ducks that we take care of, so this just seemed fitting. Also my girlfriends name is Shannon, and this book is by David Shannon. Had to buy it! It's great though, lots of fun pictures!

The illustrations are colourful and detailed. The text encourages animal noises and an enthusiastic rendition of the story.

spoiler: The last page shows duck contemplating a large red tractor. Yes, Caldecott-winning David Shannon followed up with "Duck on a Tractor."

Not since Doreen Cronin created her own enterprising foul in "Click Clack Moo" has a duck so single handedly taken farm matters directly into his own hands. In this particularly charming tale, a curious duck eyes a shiny red bicycle on the farm. Judging himself a worthy rider, Duck hops onto the bike and visits all the other animals on the farm. Each animal responds with their own particular sound (moos, meows, woofs, etc.) but think what they will about Duck's exploits. When a large bike riding group of youngsters arrive on the farm and head inside the house, their own bicycles become too much of a lure for the barnyard fellows and soon the yard is full of wheeling critters.
Using a selection of beautiful paints, novel characters, and interesting angles, author/illustrator David Shannon (of "No, David" fame) has created a truly delightful tale. His attention to detail is remarkable. Kids that remember that when Duck passed the goat his thought was, "I'd like to eat that bike!" will be rewarded if they notice that once on such a contraption, the goat makes a point of chewing on the available basket. And honestly, who else could draw a horse sneering any better than Shannon? The curl of the lip is an expression I've often expected on certain finicky animals. Safety conscious parents will note that the pack of kids arriving on the farm, aside from being nicely multicultural and of different genders, are almost all wearing safety helmets. So well done there. And as a personal note, I always give extra points to those illustrators that understand the beauty of the silent gag. The two page spread of the animals eying the new bicycles eagerly will make parents laugh in appreciation and make gleeful those kids that can figure out what is about to occur. And much like the more recent "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus", we can appreciate the troubles that might come from Duck's curious perusal of an unmanned tractor on the last page. All in all, a fun story that would read aloud very very well to large groups of children. Highly recommended.

My criteria for 5 *s is:

- warm illustrations

- humourous

- well written text

- my kids like it

- fun for an adult to read over and over again

- has a satisfying ending

This book has it all. It took a little while to grow on me but I kept finding more and more depth in the pictures and the text. The animals responses to seeing the duck ride the bike are both appropriate to each animal and humourous. e.g. the horse brags that he is faster, the dog thinks it's really cool, the cat is somewhat indifferent and the goat wants to eat the bike.

It is also very fun to read to children. You can be a bit silly without trying hard. Unlike some other childrens' books, I don't mind reading this frequently and it is a frequent request from my 3.5 year olds.

The ending with the duck staring at the tractor is a fun twist.

This is a beautiful book with enough repetition to be easy for a young toddler to memorize and get excited about, but not too much to bore parents. My son has loved this book since he was about 10 months old and now at 20 months he knows and points out the colors of the ribbons, all of the animals, and extra details on the book. It pairs nicely with other farm animal sounds/identification activities as it doesn't have any cutest nicknames like doggy or kitty.

My daughter loves this book, and requests it again and again, and I also find the story and pictures compelling. However, it really bothers me that all the female animals say stodgy, negative things like "He's going to get hurt if he's not careful!" and "I wouldn't waste my time riding a bike," while most male animals get to say enthusiastic, active things like "That is a mighty neat trick!" and "I wish I could ride a bike just like duck." I would be okay with the facts that only three out of nine human bicyclists are female and the main character is male... except that this story is ostensibly "for Emma". With SO MANY books featuring male protagonists out there, why would you write a book for a girl but not bother to make the protagonist female?
But this book is otherwise charming, and, of course, my kid is a fan, so I will probably print out some little labels and change a few of the genders around and keep reading it half a dozen times a day.

MommyREVIEW: Ever since we were introduced to David Shannon's book No, David! Back in 2003 we've been a HUGE fan! I use to teach Pre-K and the toddlers' to the 4-5 room would eat up any David Shannon book we would read. The illustrations and simple stories have a way of speaking to those who can and cannot read. The colors are bright and vibrant the animals in this story make you dream... Hey if they can READ MORE @ [...]

MommyREVIEW: Ever since we were introduced to David Shannon's book No, David! Back in 2003 we've been a HUGE fan! I use to teach Pre-K and the toddlers' to the 4-5 room would eat up any David Shannon book we would read. The illustrations and simple stories have a way of speaking to those who can and cannot read. The colors are bright and vibrant the animals in this story make you dream... Hey if they can READ MORE @ [...]

David Shannon has once again created a valuable book for the youngest readers. Duck on a Bike tells the fun adventure of an average farm duck with a desire to do something exciting. The story begins with Duck's hungry stare at a red bike, and ends with the same look of desire, only Duck has found a bigger challenge in a tractor. This book has Shannon's signature full page, vividly colored illustrations of farm animals. Shannon's ability to depict human emotion in the facial expressions of animals is a good way for parents to teach children how to anticipate the contents of a story. This book is perfect for young audiences who have just learned the familiar sounds of farm animals. Since the predictable introduction to each animal begins with the standard animal sound, parents can encourage young audiences to interact with the story by voicing the sound of each animal. Duck on a Bike is fun, adorable, and a must read for every toddler and beginning reader.

My son received this book for his second birthday two months ago, and it has been his favorite since then. we read it a few times every day. the pictures are great, and the text is short and understandable for a 2 year old. the pages are quite durable, which is good, too. Overall, highly recommend.

This happens to be my nephew's favorite book (and it's the third copy he's worn out). Duck on a Bike a delightful story about a dare-devil duck who sets off an bike riding adventure. On his journey around the farm, he greets other animas who in turn get jealous of his biking skills. In the end, all of the animals get a chance to join in on the fun!

As an elementary school teacher, I highly recommend this book for children of all ages. The story is engaging and the illustrations capture the joy of the story!

This is a charming book with fabulous pictures that children absolutely love. The story captures their attention each time I have used it in speech-language therapy sessions. It's a great one to use with young children for engagement in simple conversation as well as predicting outcomes.

David Shannon has once again created a valuable book for the youngest readers. Duck on a Bike tells the fun adventure of an average farm duck with a desire to do something exciting. The story begins with Duck's hungry stare at a red bike, and ends with the same look of desire, only Duck has found a bigger challenge in a tractor. This book has Shannon's signature full page, vividly colored illustrations of farm animals. Shannon's ability to depict human emotion in the facial expressions of animals is a good way for parents to teach children how to anticipate the contents of a story. This book is perfect for young audiences who have just learned the familiar sounds of farm animals. Since the predictable introduction to each animal begins with the standard animal sound, parents can encourage young audiences to interact with the story by voicing the sound of each animal. Duck on a Bike is fun, adorable, and a must read for every toddler and beginning reader.