Along a long road – a bicycle storybook

I saw this book in my local library and I couldn’t resist the cover.

This quirky picture book for preschoolers (ages 3-6) is the first foray into children’s books by Frank Viva, an award-winning illustrator/graphic artist for Esquire, Time and The New Yorker.

The story focuses on a winding, uninterrupted road that is both a stylistic feature of Viva’s work, a fundamental that leads the reader through the story and a necessary motif given this particular story – which is of course…cycling along a lon road!

The road features prominently and runs from the very start of the book by loops across the inside front cover, then out across each page as it weaves around towns, farms, a theme park, forests and past ocean foreshores.

The cyclist is on an elongated bicycle, which he expertly rides through tunnels, over bridges, up and down hills and around bends…. all in order to get to the end FAST – only to start the journey all over again!

Here’s an excerpt:

Along a long road gaining speed

Again and again and again

Along a long road going fast

Around a round bend near the end

And start all over again

This book appears simplistic, however, the winding long road, even cadence of text, the steadfastness of the cyclist and the ever-changing, yet familiar scenery – all have a rhythm and movement that many riders will identify with.

Just like the cyclist in the book, many riders have felt the compulsion to ‘just keep going!’.

The illustrations are minimalist and use a limited palette of four key muted tones to focus attention on the activity in the book.

The pages are thoughtfully designed and are clear and easy to look at. Hidden on pages are little gems, like whales diving in the ocean, dragonflies and tractors in fields.

My favourite part in the book is when the cyclist is stopped by an apple on the road out the front of a library…after the apple is moved, our cyclist is off again after waving to a little boy, his mother and their dog.

Few people know that Frank Viva originally created this project as one continuous, thirty-five-foot-long artwork. Amazing!l Athough Frank might be new to children’s books, he is certainly not new to cycling – as he is an avid rider and has cycle-toured many countries.

I like this book because it reminds me of riding my bike around Brisbane: the bayside, the theme park, the forest and the farming country –  and all the happy times I’ve had wooshing around the city and getting to where I want to go FAST ….. it is lovely to see it expressed in such a unique and whimsical way.

More fun picture books for kids about bikes, please!

So, if you see this book in a bookstore or the library – take the time to flip through it- it is an entertaining, easy and highly recommended read.

Thanks Frank!

 

Video: Frankviva