Wheetle: A Little Wagon with a Big Heart

3.3

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Author(s)

Cindy Derby

Publisher

Roaring Brook Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

April 22, 2025

ISBN

978-1250325501

Buy This Book

WALL-E meets THE RABBIT LISTENED in this tender picture book about a little wagon who learns to set his own boundaries, by Caldecott Honor-winning creator Cindy Derby.

Wheetle just wants to help. He's a wagon after all, and that's what he's meant to do. So when his friends ask him to carry slimy things, fragile things, heavy things, even squiggly-wiggly things, he always says yes.

But one morning he wakes up with a wobbly wheel. Oh no! he thinks, but decides he can still help his friends. When he hears a loud POP, he suddenly finds he is the one who needs help. Will his friends come through for him, this time?

Cindy Derby introduces us to a lovable character, Wheetle, in this new evergreen classic by the Caldecott Honor-winning creator of Outside In.

Editor review

1 review

Gentle Wheetle

August 28, 2025 (Updated: June 29, 2026)

Overall rating

3.3

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

4.0

Wheetle is about a helpful wagon that always helps his bug friends, even when it is hard and even when there are things Wheetle is excited to do instead. When things go wrong, his friends are there to help, and Wheetle learns it is okay to say no. The illustrations are rich in detail and feel whimsical in style. I do have questions about how the wagon came to be and why there are no humans. I also wonder how his friends helping him get to do what he wants to do when he is hurt leads to an understanding of setting boundaries. It feels like a sentence or two of internal dialogue may help the young reader understand why this is a good and acceptable thing to do. Overall, the tone of the text is gentle, and the theme of helping others is a worthy concept, making for a nice story.