cover image Grandfather's Wheelything

Grandfather's Wheelything

Duncan Ball. Simon & Schuster, $15 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-671-79817-8

This slight ditty sings the praises of the homemade, bicycle-like contraption that Grandfather rides through town. Smith's ( Chester the Out-of-Work Dog ) jaunty, loose-lined, violet-toned gouache paintings add the only noticeable life to the verse (``He wheeled it in snownstorms / and he wheeled it in rain. / He wheeled it and wheeled it, /, and he wheeled it again''). The artwork runs wild with the general premise, providing a jolly parade of characters who get caught up in Grandfather's free-wheeling spin. The feel-good visuals, spirited as they are, cannot by themselves pump up this volume. Ages 3-6. (June)