How Mr. Felix Entered a Bicycle Race - Peter Svetina - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Peter Svetina

ILLUSTRATOR: Ana Razpotnik Donati

GENRE: Children's Fiction.

PUBLICATION DATE: March 17, 2026

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A wacky picture book about an unexpected champion cyclist. Silly but entertaining story. A bit text-intensive. I’m confused about the message. The cover, though lovely, is a bit misleading. Recommended to those looking for humour than morals in picture books.

Plot Preview:

Mr. Felix is a quirky man who lives alone and on his own terms. He is messy, doesn’t cut his hair often, always wears the same comfortable overalls, braids his long beard, and chats with college students on various topics. So the last thing the townspeople expect is for the laidback Mr. Felix to even participate in the Grand Bicycle Race, forget being an absolute champion at cycling. However, just like everything else, Mr. Felix cycles also on his own terms.

This book was originally published in Slovenian under the title ‘Kako je gospod Feliks tekmoval s kolesom’ in 2016. This English translation is releasing in March 2026.

The title and the cover caught my eye while browsing. Seeing the cyclist smiling joyfully even when topsy-turvy on the grass intrigued me. Unfortunately, that scene is nowhere in the story. Not a major issue, I guess. But when the cover shows Felix on the ground, you kinda expect him to tumble on every page.

Felix is an interesting character with a strange mix of behavioural traits. Usually, such characters are portrayed as misanthropic or introverted, so it is wonderful to see Felix clearly enjoying company and even having many friends in town who accept him with all his eccentricities.

The story is just like Felix: quirky and full of surprises. Some parts reminded me to Aesop’s fable of ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’, but the eventual path taken is clearly different.

Given how casual Felix is about everything, it is a surprise to see him ride fast, faster, fastest on his cycle. But is he really cycling for glory? For acclaim? For the cash prize or trophy? Nope. And that’s where the fun lies. Felix is cycling because he wants to cycle, and he cycles the way he wants, not the way the competition requires.

In a way, I see the appeal of this angle. Living life on our own terms is indeed an admirable thing. However, keeping in mind that this is a children’s book, this message might not really be the best to impart at this age without adding some clauses. What if a child refuses to eat vegetables or do homework simply because it’s not fun and not what they want to do at that time? A certain discipline is essential when tasks are not to our liking. I know the story is meant to be sheer fun. But the parent in me cannot accept such rebellious behaviour easily. 😏

The ending is a bit too abrupt. I’d have loved to see some better reasoning and discussion of consequences, and also to know how Felix could overtake even the fastest competitive cyclist. Even a couple of pages more would have brought this ride to a smoother finish.

Of course, it’s not all negative. There are some really funny scenes in the story, thanks to Felix’s attitude towards life and cycle racing.

Though this looks like an early reader’s picture, book, the story is somewhat text-intensive, with each page having multiple paragraphs of lengthy sentences. There are also some advanced words. The official target age is 5-8 years, but the content might be too heavy for the younger lot.

The illustrations are amazing, and improved my overall experience. It was fun to see not just Felix’s whimsical participation but also the townspeople’s befuddlement at his decisions. Honestly, no AI illustration can match human creativity, and such books prove it. These graphics have a soul.

Overall, I liked the story and loved the illustrations. I wish the quirkiness had been better handled, especially at the end, but to anyone looking for sheer fun, the story works.

Recommended to ages 7-8, though they might need assistance with the bigger words.

My thanks to Albatros Media for providing the DRC of “How Mr. Felix Entered a Bicycle Race” This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.