Willie the Wheel

by Eric Chenn, Eric Chenn (Illustrator)

Overview

This modern fairy tale follows the wondrous journey of Willie—a bicycle wheel who has to learn to accept and embrace a new role in life. No longer a true bicycle wheel, Willie has become part of a piece of artwork and he must now cope with his loss of biking journeys and high-speed adventures, while finding new ways to take pride in being a wheel. From building self-esteem to developing independence, this unique story highlights important themes for children.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780976205678
Publisher:	Heryin Books, Inc.
Publication date:	12/01/2006
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	7 - 9 Years

About the Author

Eric Chenn is an author and illustrator.

Editorial Reviews

Willie used to be a wheel on a bicycle, but he had become part of a permanent art structure in a park. He enjoyed whirling around and creaking. He played with groundhogs and children. But the nights were long and lonely. He talked to his friend the moon. They reminisced about the old times when Willie rolled speedily along the ground. The moon promised to help Willie move again. The next day the mayor came to the park. He admired Willie's sculpture so much that he decided to place it in the city art museum. Willie was sad. If they put him inside a building, he would never see the sun again. He was loaded on the back of a truck. When they reached the bustling city, Willie envied all the wheels he saw moving around him. He yielded to temptation and jumped from the truck. He was free! He raced through the crowded streets and past the busy marketplace. He rolled through wonderful street adventures for days. Then he injured himself. He lay forgotten in a cold, lonely corner of the city. He began to rust, but a glimmer of light reflected from his frail body. A handyman picked him up, restored his roundness, fitted him with a rubber tire, attached a seat on top, and added a small wheel in the back. Willie the Wheel was reborn as a unique bicycle. He was truly a "moving" piece of art. He gave thanks as he saw the moon smiling down on him. The full-color illustrations feature geometric shapes that enhance the artistic tone of the story. An unusual and intriguing tale.

Children's Literature - Phyllis Kennemer

A wheel finds more fulfillment in work than in being a work of art in this rough-hewn tale. Though happy enough being a park sculpture, drawing birds and children by creaking around in the breeze, Willie confesses to the Moon a longing for new sights. When an appreciative politician has him uprooted and trucked off to parts unknown, Willie escapes, rolling through town until he's finally too bent to travel. After dreaming of flying with the Moon, he is ultimately rescued from the garbage by a handyman who includes him as part of an antique-style bicycle-as Chenn so cleverly puts it: "a 'moving' piece of art." The vibrant colors on the dust jacket fade to dull, muddy tones inside, but the modernistic paper collage and scribble illustrations are more arty than inviting anyway, and like the plot, are unlikely to make much of an impression on young viewers. Tales from "Gingerbread Boy" to Deborah Lund's All Aboard the Dinotrain (April 2006), illustrated by Howard Fine, better celebrate the joys and sorrows of going mobile. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews