Waters, Rod
VeloPress. Boulder. 2013.
ISBN 978-1-937715-23-6

Eric‘s Big Day, is a whimsical children’s book that takes young Eric on a journey to visit his friend Emily in the next town to share a picnic.

Eric packs his knapsack with a multitude of items including a large balloon and some sticky candy, all of which it turns out will come in handy as Eric meets bicycle racers on the road along the way who need his help to cross the finish line.

The book is beautifully illustrated in a pen and ink with color wash style that is reminiscent of a New Yorker magazine cover or a French panel of sketches.

Although the story is meant for children 4-8, some of Eric’s clever fixes for problems along the way will remind many of us of the things we have done to keep our bikes on the road when we had nothing but a dollar bill to stuff into a torn tire.

reviewed by Diane Lees