RIDE ALONG: Incredibly Fast ands Not At All Fun!

 As summer winds down, those who adore roller coasters and theme parks should be getting their roll on while they can. To share that experience (and examine it more closely) a new picture book has released. INCREDIBLY FAST AND NOT AT ALL FUN is the imaginative and marvelous new title from author/illustrator Tadgh Bentley. 

ATHENEUM
BOOKS FOR YOUN G READERS, 2026

The premise of this story is a surprisingly imaginative origin story for the first roller coaster ever. Bear (a big-muzzled beekeeper bear with some serious STEM skills) sets out to solve a problem. The wooded valley between his hilltop home and his hive (located on the other side of the valley) is (over) populated with critters! Bear needs  a quick, undistracted transport system to get from here to there, so to speak. 

Opening AND closing end papers nearly waylaid my efforts to read Bear's determined account while I scrutinized the graphic-design/blueprint style details revealing Bear's intended solution. The design drawings incorporate nature's explanation crating a need for rising/falling, twisting, twirling layouts, with practical (and laughable) units of measure in length, labeled "bears". Why not? We measure length in "feet". 

Bear called his device the "Honey Runner". Although steep, and perhaps intimidating, the potential for efficiency outweighed his concerns. And, it worked! But Bear's debut ride was observed by countless woodland eyes, and those critters were curious! They begged to ride along. 

The story unfolds with those eager thrill-seekers clamoring for more exciting rides.  Complicating issues arise. Bear's attempt to simplify his life with an efficient transport system becomes anything but efficient. As you probably imagine by now, more engineering is involved, but that only makes the "Honey Runner" that much more exciting. 

No worries.Clever Bear finds a way to satisfy his thrill-seeking forest neighbors while still pursuing his quiet life. But that last page turn will have readers howling and ready to right a next chapter in Bear's story. 

First, all praise for the main text, which crackles with crisp and comical situations and language. Bear's emotional journey, including frustration and exasperation, will take readers on a ride in itself. And the small details (and I do mean small, including in earliest spreads shown with miniature scene set-ups and signage) will have kids poring over each spread, each little critter's expression, and each transition's potential through repeated readings. 

Bentley is as talented at visuals as he is at storytelling. This oversized book allows for expansive and colorful spreads suggesting nature's sprawling invitation to Bear to make a way through. The forest colors glow with fall foliage, offering a vibrant background for small brown silhouettes, each with bright white eyes. Figures are expressive and soft-edged in contrast to construction elements and detailed plans. 

Those eyes, by the way, deserve their own commentary.

First, I'll admit that manga-like, big-eyed characters in picture books are not my first choice in conveying character or personality. This forest population, though, sports white-eyed, wide-eyed expressions in a variety of angles and attitudes that actually reveal their otherwise limited expressiveness rather than looking endlessly repetitive. The eyes make it clear within dense backgrounds that there are SO MANY of them, as bear seems to be thinking. Yet his heart is tugged to give ride after ride and eventually solve the situation he confronts in those  pleading, begging, eager eyes, always aimed exactly where they must be in order to achieve their intent and to direct readers' attention. 

The overall story is a delight. Creators are often told to find something original, that there are plenty of dog stories, cat stories, bear stories, etc. ... UNLESS you can find something truly original to do with those familiar stars of the show. And this book does exactly that!  It dares to pair a nature/woodland scene with a lovable bear and a lively community of neighbors with a ROLLERCOASTER! A ride with swooshing, gasping speed, with curves and turns and twists that lift off the page could cause shrieks from audiences. It invites reading aloud to giggling groups as well as close scrutiny by chuckling children. 

For sheer fun and entertainment, this can't be beat. If you add to that its potential connections to planning and revision, problem solving, community needs, transportation, SEL, predictions, and more, it earns its place in families, classrooms, libraries, and the hands of anyone, any age, who loves rollercoasters!

Bentley is also the creator of popular early chapter books and easy readers featuring DINO DETECTIVE, LITTLE PENGUIN, and more. Click on the website to take you to an opening page that reveals sketches and image drafts unfolding bit by bit, not unlike Bear's planning sketches on end papers.