Declan’s Bike by Ashley Frerking and Isabella Russell
Published: 2021
Buy on Amazon
Declan receives a shiny new bike for Christmas. They’re inseparable until a few months later when an electronic birthday gift comes between them. Can Declan tear himself away from his video games long enough to rediscover his bike?
The message of Declan’s bike is positive. Too many parents have watched their children get quickly addicted to digital over physical experiences. Generation X biked all over their neighborhoods and far beyond, while many kids nowadays spend too much time on the couch . Declan’s new best friend, the bike, is not just fun to use, its also promotes healthy living.
The art is weaker than the story. There are some struggles with anatomy going on and the ink work is rough. The scene choices do support the story and clearly convey what’s going on.
Picture books are sparse with words so careful editing is especially important. There are some mistakes with capitalization and dialog grammar here and there, which can hurt its use as an early reader.