The Creature of Habit Tries His Best

Ages 4 to 8, Grades P to 3

The Creature of Habit is back in this humorous picture book that tackles a perennial challenge for every kid – learning to ride a bike! This story celebrates the power of persistence and reminds us that sometimes, it's not about being the best but about giving it your best try!

On the island of Habit, there lived a very big creature who was about to go on the ride of his life!

While he’d recently learned to try new things, the very big creature had also learned that he wasn’t always very good at everything. It turned out trying was hard! The kind of hard that made him stomp his feet and roar his biggest roar . . . and sometimes even feel like quitting. And learning to ride a bike? That was really hard—every time he tried, he wobbled and fell right off.

But the very big creature wouldn’t give up. He might not ever be the best at riding a bike, but maybe—just maybe—he could be the best at trying to ride one. After all, trying was a lot like sticking with something—and he was already an expert at that!

Charming and vibrantly illustrated by award-winning artist Leo Espinosa, Jennifer E. Smith’s picture book about a character with big feelings tackles the ups and downs of learning something new with humor, reminding readers to take pride in each effort to try again — big or small.

Series Overview: Series: A Creature of Habit Story

About the Author

Jennifer E. Smith is the author of The Creature of Habit, illustrated by the award-winning Leo Espinosa, and nine novels for young adults, including The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Windfall, and Field Notes on Love. She earned a master's degree in creative writing from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, and her work has been translated into thirty-three languages. She lives in Los Angeles.

Author Residence: Los Angeles, CA

Leo Espinosa is a New York Times bestselling illustrator and designer from Bogotá, Colombia. His picture books include The Creature of Habit by Jennifer E. Smith, No More Naps and NO is All I Know! by Chris Grabenstein, Islandborn by Junot Diaz, for which he was awarded a Pura Belpre illustrator award, and The New York Times bestseller The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson. Leo's award-winning illustrations have been recognized by American Illustration, Communication Arts, Pictoplasma, 3x3, and the Society of Illustrators. In addition, he has given multiple lectures and workshops at schools and institutions such as Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute as well as serving on the faculty of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Illustrator Residence:Bogotá, Colombia