Skip to main content

Display: Bicycle Books

Written by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
Illustrated by Leo Espinosa
Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023. Biography.

One hundred years ago, one of the most popular spectator sports was bicycle racing, and the man to beat was Marshall "Major" Taylor, who set records in his teens and won his first world championship by age twenty. The first African American world champion in cycling and the second Black athlete to win a world championship in any sport, Major Taylor faced down challenge after challenge, not least the grueling Six-Day Race, a test of speed, strength, and endurance. With energy, heart, and pounding verse, Charles R. Smith Jr. evokes the excitement of the crowd at Madison Square Garden as Major powered through exhaustion, hallucinations, and racist abuse from fellow riders, who tried to crash his bike throughout the competition. Leo Espinosa's dynamic illustrations capture the action, and as day six draws to a close, and Major's odds narrow, there is little doubt that his triumphant rise and legacy as an international cycling champion are assured--whatever the outcome of one race--in this high-octane tribute to a trailblazing athlete. --Publisher

Written by Gabrille Snyder
Illustrated by Robin Rosenthal
New York: Abrams Appleseed, 2020. Picture Book.

When the gate is left open, one dog escapes the yard for an adventure on tricycles, trolleys, and trains. This hilarious story counts up to ten and back down again as more pups join the fun--and one very determined cat goes on the chase! --Publisher

By Elizabeth Verdick & Brian Biggs
New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2020. Picture Book.

When Lulu graduates to a bicycle with training wheels, rusty, old Trike feels lonely in the garage and worries about Lulu's safety on her shiny, new bike. --Publisher

Written by Larry Dane Brimmer
Illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
New York: Acorn, 2022. Easy Reader. 44 pages.

Ace gets her mountain bike ready for the big bike race, but during the race Ace's bike chain comes off the sprocket, and a tire goes flat--luckily she has her tools with her to fix the problem so she can finish the race. --Editor

Written by Teresa Robeson
Illustrated by Junyi Wu
Chicago: Albert Whitman & Company, 2020. Picture Book.

Lunzi and Huangche were made in the same bicycle factory and remained close in a shop, but when Huangche is purchased before Lunzi, she races through Beijing seeking her friend. Includes glossary of Mandarin Chinese terms and descriptions of the places visited. --Editor

By Alison Farrell
San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2018. Picture Book.

Little Etta the elephant visits her aunt's house in Cycle City, where everybody rides a bicycle, and the streets are crowded with many unique bikes that are waiting for the parade to begin. --Editor

Written by C.L. Reid
Illustrated by Elena Aiello
North Mankato, MN: Picture Window Books, 2023. Easy Reader. 27 pages.

Emma is too scared to ride her new bike but her brother helps her practice and gain the confidence she needs to conquer her fears. Includes an ASL fingerspelling chart and a sign language guide. --Editor

By Corey R. Tabor
New York: Balzer + Bray, 2017. Picture Book.

Fun-loving, mischievous Fox from Fox and the Jumping Contest is back in this charming and hilarious tale of friendship, adventure and snacks. It's the day of the animals' annual bike ride, and Fox is not excited. Every year it's the same old, same old. --Editor

By Byron Barton
New York: Greenwillow Books, 2015. Picture Book.

Tom tells all about his bicycle, his ride to work past trucks, cars, and even elephants, and his job as a circus performer. --Editor

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Review: A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall

A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall By Jasmine Warga New York: Harper, 2024. Fiction. 211 pages. A painting has been stolen from the Penelope L. Brooks Museum and sixth-grader Rami Ahmed is worried he's the main suspect. His mother works at the museum as the lead custodian and Rami spends a lot of time hanging out at the museum while she works. On the day the painting went missing, the only people there were the security guard Ed, the cleaning crew, and Rami. Then, a mysterious girl appears in the museum. She floats around from room to room and only Rami can see her -- and she looks exactly like the girl from the missing painting. To prove his innocence and help figure out who the floating girl is, Rami partners up with an aspiring sleuth at school named Veda and the two dive into unexpected situations as they try to solve the mystery. This is a cozy mystery that is focused mostly on characters and ambiance and only a little on the mystery itself. Don't read this book if yo...

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

Review: The Amazing Generation

The Amazing Generation: Your Guide to Fun and Freedom in a Screen-Filled World Written by Jonathan Haidt and Catherine Price  Illustrated by Cynthia Yuan Cheng New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Informational. 226 pages.  In a kid-friendly adaptation of his best-selling book, The Anxious Generation , Jonathan Haidt teams up with Catherine Price, author of How to Break Up With Your Phone , to bring the power of good information directly to the hands of those that this issue affects most directly — kids on the cusp of getting their own smartphones. The book presents information about the drawbacks of having a smartphone and social media too soon in clear and easy-to-understand language, with eye-catching graphics and pop-outs. Throughout the book, quotes from real teens and young adults, called screen "rebels" by the authors, emphasize the points the authors are trying to make. Fictional characters are featured throughout in a graphic novel story, which further emphasizes the po...