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Overview
Two starred reviews
A "thrilling, alliterative...dryly comedic" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) picture book about a quiet-loving bear who accidentally invents the world's first roller coaster, perfect for fans of Ryan T. Higgins and Jon Klassen. The world's first roller coasterwas invented almost entirely by mistake. Bear calls it the Honey Runner and builds it as a quick and easy way to get to his beehives. It is a bit steep. The corners take some getting used to. And it is way too fast. So imagine Bear's surprise when a gaggle of curious neighbors ask to try it out. Then another. And another. Before Bear knows it, foxes fly, squirrels squeal, and hedgehogs howl through the dips and turns. Bear cannot understand it. His invention is incredibly fast and not at all fun... Why is everyone lining up for more?
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781665971409
- ISBN-10: 1665971401
- Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Publish Date: June 2026
- Dimensions: 11 x 9.2 x 0.6 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
- Page Count: 40
- Reading Level: Ages 4-8
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- 1
Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun is a whimsical (and totally fabricated) origin story that’s bound to elicit shrieks of laughter and delight. Bear—consistently depicted with a comically deadpan expression—is not what you'd call a thrill-seeker. All he's looking for is "a quick and easy way to get from the stillness of home . . . to the calm of his beehives." This all sounds like a fairly straightforward proposition, but there's one catch: Both Bear's home and his beehives rest atop towering cliffs on either end of a thickly wooded forest, chock-full of woodland creatures.
Bear's solution? Build a track system (dubbed the "Honey Runner") that plummets down one cliff to gain momentum, executes plenty of tree-dodging hairpin turns, and then zips back up the other side. Bear dons his safety goggles, climbs in his little wooden cart and, without a hint of either glee or terror, calmly goes about his errands. The rabbits, foxes and even turtles in his neighborhood know a good time when they see one though, and soon—much to Bear's dismay—they're clamoring for their own turn on the Honey Runner.
A single ride turns into requests for more, and Bear realizes he's created not only the world's first roller coaster, but also a major headache—all of his attempts to dissuade further thrill rides only add to the appeal, and his peaceful home life is now filled with "the terrified squeals of daredevil squirrels" day and night. Suffused with the gold and rusty hues of an autumn forest, Tadgh Bentley's digitally rendered artwork expertly conveys dramatic irony, as readers will recognize with amusement just how far Bear's plans have veered off the rails, even if he himself repeatedly fails to understand. Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun is perfectly poised for read-alouds, as young listeners can play the part of the chattering chipmunks and bellowing badgers—and readers young and old will delight at the splashy twist ending. This is incredibly silly and all fun.
Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun is a whimsical (and totally fabricated) origin story that’s bound to elicit shrieks of laughter and delight. Bear—consistently depicted with a comically deadpan expression—is not what you'd call a thrill-seeker. All he's looking for is "a quick and easy way to get from the stillness of home . . . to the calm of his beehives." This all sounds like a fairly straightforward proposition, but there's one catch: Both Bear's home and his beehives rest atop towering cliffs on either end of a thickly wooded forest, chock-full of woodland creatures.
Bear's solution? Build a track system (dubbed the "Honey Runner") that plummets down one cliff to gain momentum, executes plenty of tree-dodging hairpin turns, and then zips back up the other side. Bear dons his safety goggles, climbs in his little wooden cart and, without a hint of either glee or terror, calmly goes about his errands. The rabbits, foxes and even turtles in his neighborhood know a good time when they see one though, and soon—much to Bear's dismay—they're clamoring for their own turn on the Honey Runner.
A single ride turns into requests for more, and Bear realizes he's created not only the world's first roller coaster, but also a major headache—all of his attempts to dissuade further thrill rides only add to the appeal, and his peaceful home life is now filled with "the terrified squeals of daredevil squirrels" day and night. Suffused with the gold and rusty hues of an autumn forest, Tadgh Bentley's digitally rendered artwork expertly conveys dramatic irony, as readers will recognize with amusement just how far Bear's plans have veered off the rails, even if he himself repeatedly fails to understand. Incredibly Fast and Not at All Fun is perfectly poised for read-alouds, as young listeners can play the part of the chattering chipmunks and bellowing badgers—and readers young and old will delight at the splashy twist ending. This is incredibly silly and all fun.