WHEETLE

A determined young vehicle learns a lesson in self-care.

Wheetle, a cheerful red anthropomorphized wagon whose handle resembles a face, greets the day with vim and vigor, ready to help out the other residents of the forest, all the while looking forward to “his favorite morning of the year,” circled on his calendar. He carries “slimy things and fragile things…along the roughest road, up…and down the big hill,” despite the presence of a squeaky wheel that gets progressively worse as the week goes on. When the circled date arrives, Wheetle enthusiastically starts his journey, only for his wheel to break while he’s assisting yet another friend. Thankfully, those he has helped along the way band together to carry him up the hill “just in time to see all the suns come up.” Caldecott Honor–winner Derby explores the fine line between being selfless and being taken advantage of; children and adults alike will readily relate. Her mixed-media collage art relies on warm yellows, oranges, blues, and purples to glorious effect, depicting a world that readers will easily lose themselves in. Wheetle himself is utterly expressive, his frustration, disappointment, and, at last, unabashed happiness coming through clearly. Derby’s text has a pleasing rhythm and contains charming details, from the many items Wheetle ferries to the “bottle-cap bow tie” he dons before setting out on that special day.

An empathetic, gorgeously wrought look at striking a balance between helping others and setting healthy boundaries.