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Smith, Jennifer E.

The Creature of Habit Tries His Best

40 pp. | Random/Random House Studio | November, 2024 | Trade ISBN 9780593434611 $18.99 | Library ISBN 9780593434628 $21.99 | Ebook ISBN 9780593434635 $10.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. In this companion to The Creature of Habit, the titular large white rabbit-like being and his "very small creature" friend, a blue puff with green-tinted glasses, make a newspaper sailboat ("sort of") and set off from the tropical island of Habit. They arrive in a place filled with triangle-shaped trees, moss-covered rocks, and snow that falls "from the sky like dust, like magic, like stars." In this new land, the possibilities seem endless. The big creature attempts to climb trees (his small friend does it effortlessly) and to make daisy chains and snowballs, but "he couldn't do it." When he sees his pal zipping around on a bike, however, he decides he has to learn how to ride. With his friend's encouragement, he doesn't give up despite many, many failed attempts. Eventually our protagonist has slow, wobbly success, and that night he dreams about "being the best at trying to ride a bike." Espinosa's comical digital illustrations enhance Smith's funny, warmhearted story about a character who concludes that "maybe trying wasn't so different from sticking with something."
Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

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