My Bike

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - North Yarmouth Academy, Yarmouth, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: July 22, 2015

Review

Like Barton's other books "My Car" and "My Bus", this title focuses on one element that is quite familiar to children, a bike. Tom rides his bike to work, and with simple, clear sentences, Barton follows Tom on his route. Barton knows what appeals to children, so Tom passes cars and trucks. And monkeys. And acrobats. There are many little clues where Tom is going, but the final destination is the circus, where Tom's work is revealed: he is a clown. Barton's Photoshop drawings are two-dimensional and his people are simplistic, but the colors are bright and there are many small details that will delight the reader: a circus truck on the road, a cat in the audience, a clown nose for the ride home. A great read-aloud and a wonderful addition to any picture book collection. A small critique: the binding is weak for a book like this that will have high circulation.

Overall Book Score: excellent