Cantaloupe and HoneyDo Ride a Bike

August 23, 2024

PreS-Gr 2-Cantaloupe has a brand-spanking-new bike. HoneyDo is excited and wants to see Cantaloupe take it for a spin. Cantaloupe can't! HoneyDo can't see why not. HoneyDo accepts Cantaloupe's invitation to take a ride with great enthusiasm, while comic illustrations reveal that HoneyDo does not actually know how-yet! This duo of able-bodied, nongendered melons with stick-figure limbs that stretch like Rubber Man's will have readers contorted in laughter as HoneyDo sets the stage for the more-knowledgeable Cantaloupe to be the teacher, while delivering a lesson about growth mindset, the value of making mistakes, practice, and persevering through challenges with good humor. As he did with Bad Dog, Boldt has hit comic paydirt with this hilarious read-aloud which combines photographs of melons and a cruiser bicycle and Sponge Bob-style illustrations to design features and limbs. VERDICT Teachers and librarians will enjoy sharing this one with students, and students will enjoy sharing it with anyone with a sense of humor. Recommended for easy reader collections.-Jessica Fenster-Sparber

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September 1, 2024
Two friends come together to learn an exciting new skill. Depicted as melons of non-specific gender with googly eyes and flexible stick limbs, Cantaloupe and HoneyDo have different initial responses to Cantaloupe's new bike. Cantaloupe's already fallen off and is too timorous to mount up again, while HoneyDo is wild to put pedal to the metal but, it turns out, clueless about even which way to face. "It can be tricky," warns Cantaloupe. "I have heard that," responds HoneyDo. "But I will practice." Cantaloupe protests, "But you could fall and get hurt!" "Oh, probably. Especially if I am learning. I will wear a helmet to protect my melon." The melons, bike, helmet, and occasional props, such as the pair of Groucho glasses that Cantaloupe dons while explaining what the pedals are actually for, are bright photographed elements to which the author/illustrator has added only a few drawn bits and dialogue balloons. The effect is as light and airy as the banter. A few false starts, falls, and encouraging comments later, both melons have just about caught the knack. Success is sweet, and so, in this first of a projected series, is Boldt's dedication to "all the kids learning to ride a bike (and the parents running behind them)." A delectable depiction of a fruitful relationship.(Picture book. 4-6)

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