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Reviewed by:
  • Fox and the Bike Ride by Corey R. Tabor
  • Kate Quealy-Gainer, Assistant Editor
Tabor, Corey R. Fox and the Bike Ride; written and illus. by Corey R. Tabor. Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2017 [32p]
ISBN 978-0-06-239875-8 $17.99
Reviewed from galleys R* 4-6 yrs

All of Fox's animal pals are pretty stoked for the "Annual Tour de Tip-Top, Slow-and-Steady, There-and-Back bike ride (plus snacks)," but Fox (of Fox and the Jumping Contest) wants danger-action-adventure and he sure as heck isn't going to get it on this particular jaunt. He is in charge of the bikes, though, so why not raid his friends' bikes for parts and make his own souped-up wheels to add some spice to the trip? The animals are impressed, the ride begins, and everything is peachy until they start going downhill and it becomes apparent Fox forgot the brakes—or did he? A press on a red button by Fox sends the cyclists into the air, soaring through the clouds, trailing over the trees, exploring the sea, and finally to the beach for snacks. Sly Fox makes both an entertaining and sympathetic protagonist, and the text is clever and amusingly dry, especially set against the comical going-ons in the illustrations. Tabor's pencil and watercolor art have a goofy verve, with energetic line work (Fox and friends are almost always accompanied by action lines) and a vibrant palette, while the differing compositions of the pages (some full spreads, others in panels) speedily move the story along. There's plenty of visual humor embedded in the scenes (tracking photographer Frog through the book is a trip unto itself), and viewers will happily double back to find the Easter egg jokes. Lots of repetition and short, snappy sentences also put this in the reach of beginning readers, and it could make an interesting pairing with other trickster fox tales.

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