A Potato on a Bike

August 5, 2019
Gravel’s board book imagines common foods and everyday objects participating in human tasks. In each spread, text on the verso asks an illustrated question, “Down by the Bay” style: “Have you ever seen a carrot taking a bath?” shows the bucktoothed root vegetable soaking in a clawfoot tub. A recurring bright pink phrase on the recto answers: “NO WAY!” Shown in Gravel’s signature art style, “Have you ever seen”s include a shiny singing tomato, a reading sausage propped up against a pillow, a fork driving a bright pink car, a toothbrush flying through the sky with wings, and a swirl of poop wearing spectacles (“Without them, I can’t see a thing,” it says). The simple call and response is made for young readers fond of the absurd, and the list of silly queries all lead up to a concluding “YES WAY!” that highlights the joy of further laughter. Ages up to 2.

January 15, 2020
Call-and-response hilarity and a bit of potty humor make this a read-aloud delight for tots and caregivers alike. This sweet little board book is a surefire favorite that toddlers and their adults may well be referring to as Poop Riding a Bicycle for years to come. While that is clearly erroneous--the cover clearly states it's a potato--no one could fault a child for imagining that the pedaling brown blob on the cover is indeed a happy-go-lucky bowel movement on wheels. Ironically enough, there are two images in the book that do in fact feature either poop or a potty, so this will surely be a hit with young toilet trainers. The format is straightforward, set forth on the opening page, which asks: "Have you ever seen a carrot taking a BATH?" On recto, the response is writ large and loud: "No WAY!" Other ridiculous potential sightings are suggested, all introduced "have you ever seen...": "a flying toothbrush"; "a dancing cookie"; "a singing tomato"; and, of course, "poop wearing glasses" and "a ball sitting on the toilet." Each time, the response is the same: "No WAY!" The drawings are adorable, peopled with broccoli that can do math, a tomato that sings, a hockey-player pickle, and a skateboarding cupcake, for example. The final question is, "Someone tickling a baby?" (cue light tickles from caregiver); the response is a resounding, "Yes WAY!" Lighthearted and wholly engaging nonsense of the first order. (Board book. 1-4)

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