Tom and his bike pull together an entire community in what adds up to a prized preschool trilogy from Byron Barton.
Primary and secondary colors set a fiesta-bright stage. Tom's blue eyes match his helmet as he rides his fine green bicycle to work. His purple backpack holds something mysterious; only the top of its contents show. That's not the only secret he's keeping. Barton labels all parts of the bicycle in a typeface (Avant Garde Gothic) that calls to mind the forest-green alphabet strips in schoolrooms, making it easy for children learning the alphabet to identify letters. Tom models safety, keeping to the clearly marked bike lane: "On the way, I pass trucks..." (one of which gives a clue to Tom's destination). He passes two buses and "lots of cars." Barton's fans will recognize Joe the bus driver from My Bus (with his spotted dog in tow), and Sam from My Car. Striped tents, balloons "and lots of people" add further clues about Tom's workplace. By the time Tom rides past monkeys in costume and a half dozen acrobats, readers will likely figure out the setting. But what does Tom do under the Big Top?
Barton shows Tom putting on white makeup and a bright red nose and mouth, yet leaves room for children to guess his vocation. The author-artist's little twist at story's end (when Tom reveals what's inside his backpack) also provides a pleasing contrast between Tom's rules-abiding manners on the street and the wild ways that his job demands. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness