When Duck gets the zany idea to ride a bike one day, each animal on the farm has a reaction. "M-o-o-o," says Cow. But what she's really thinking is, "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!" Pig and Pig say "Oink," thinking all the while, "Duck is such a show-off!" But it's not until a crew of kids shows up and leaves their bikes lying about that the true feelings of all the animals come to light, and for one brief, glorious moment, the farm is a mad, mad world of two-wheeling road hogs (and chickens and horses and goats). David Shannon, the creator of Caldecott Honor Book, No, David!, fills the pages of this barnyard romp with sun-soaked color, charming animals, and unusual perspectives. We see Cat, for example, looming belly-first in the foreground, with Duck merrily pedaling away in the distance. The story itself is nothing to write home about--No, David! is far snappier and more original--but younger kids may well enjoy the repetitive crescendo and the goofy finale. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter


From Publishers Weekly
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 School Library Journal
reSchool-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).Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CTCopyright 2002 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


Book Description
One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike," he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on and began to ride. At first he rode slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun! Duck rode past Cow and waved to her. "Hello, Cow!" said Duck. "Moo," said Cow. But what she thought was, "A duck on a bike? That's the silliest thing I've ever seen!" And so Duck rides past sheep, horse, and all the other barnyard animals. Suddenly, a group of kids ride by on their bikes and run into the farmhouse, leaving the bikes outside. Now ALL the animals can ride bikes, just like Duck!



Card catalog description
A duck decides to ride a bike and soon influences all the other animals on the farm to ride bikes too.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
"One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea." Now this feathered fellow has gone from paddling to pedaling. Duck is cruising on a shiny red bike through the farm, rainbow streamers blowing in the wind. As he happily rides along, his barnyard pals don't take the sight of Duck on a bike lightly. Sheep is worried. Dog is impressed. Pig and Pig are jealous. But every animal Duck rolls by is at least a little intrigued. This duck with pluck is having a ball, and his enthusiasm turns out to be contagious. When a band of kids on bikes leave their wheels unattended, the entire barnyard gang gets a taste of joyriding, and Goat literally sneaks a taste of his bicycle's basket.

Award-winning author and illustrator David Shannon charms young audiences again with this richly illustrated quack-up tale. Fans of Shannon's No, David! and A Bad Case of Stripes will be happily familiar with Shannon's vibrantly colorful illustrations. The pages in this book are alive with motion. You can almost feel the troop of children whiz by Duck, dust flying, thanks to Shannon's pop-off-the-page color and style. This great read-aloud, read-along story is perfectly silly and sweet. In fact, we haven't been this fond of a farm crew since Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin's Click, Clack Moo: Cows That Type. Children will be delighted with this fun and funny tale, and they will want to read it again and again. Shannon creates an enchantingly believable fantasy world; flying pigs don't have anything on this Duck on a bike. (Kara Alexander)

ANNOTATION

A duck decides to ride a bike and soon influences all the other animals on the farm to ride bikes too.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. "I bet I could ride a bike," he thought. He waddled over to where a boy had parked his bike, and climbed on, and began to ride. At first he rode slowly and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun! Duck rides past Sheep, Horse, and all the other barnyard animals￯﾿ﾽ and when a group of kids ride by on their bikes, leaving them to go into the farmhouse ￯﾿ﾽ all of the animals get to ride bikes, just like Duck!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

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. (Apr.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Criticas

PreS-Gr 2-The author of several books about a particularly challenging youngster named David focuses this time on the escapades of a very clever duck. The story begins with a bike a boy left behind. Duck tries it out, and all the other barnyard animals protest loudly. First the cow, then the sheep, and then the dog voice their opinions about a duck riding a bike. Cat, Horse, Hen, Goat, Pig, and Mouse chime in with their thoughts but can't help but wonder, Wouldn't it be fun to try it too? Predictably, by story's end, a whole team of riders have parked their bikes at the barnyard and while they're away, the animals play. On bikes of all shapes and sizes the animals fulfill their "childlike dreams," just like Duck did. Shannon leaves a message for young and old alike in this delightful book best suited as a read-aloud for preschoolers. His bold pictures jump out at readers, packed with action and expression. A surefire hit for libraries and bookstores.-Linda Shubert, Alief Ind. School District, Houston, TX Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

A duck on a bike? She's one determined rider. Cow looks on skeptically, and sheep worriedly, Dog is envious and Cat disinterested as Duck sails by. Horse, Chicken, Goat, Pig, and Mouse have their own thoughts. When some kids park their bikes nearby, however, the temptation is too much. On a textless double page, we see all the animals staring at the available bikes and can anticipate the happy crew taking off. Shannon's lively, naturalistic paintings make the impossible appear reasonable. A wonderful, incredible ride is had by all. The final shot of Duck eyeing the tractor is provocative fun.

School Library Journal

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).-Marianne Saccardi, Norwalk Community College, CT Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews