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

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

Stand Tall By Siena Siegel by Joan Bauer Putnam, 2002, 182 pgs Realistic Fiction Tree is 12 years old and over 6 feet tall. That would be great if he were a basketball player, but he is not. Dealing with his unusual size is not Tree's only challenge. Tree's parents have recently gone through a divorce, and his grandfather has had his leg amputated as the result of an old Vietnam War injury. The strength of this book is the characterizations. All of the main characters are dimensional and sympathetic. Bauer sets the characters in real and often funny family situations. Best of all is the character of Tree. He is boy with a heart to match his stature. This is a great book for boys or girls ages 9-12, as a read aloud or for individual reading. This book could also be a good Rx book for children whose families are going through divorce, or for anyone who feels like they don't fit in.

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: Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker

  Cincinnati Lee, Curse Breaker By Heidi Heilig New York: Greenwillow Books, 2025. Fiction. 291 pages. Thanks to Cincinnati Lee's no good, dirty rotten, artifact stealing great great great grandfather, Cincinnati's family is now cursed and Cincinnati feels like it's up to her to break the curse. Which involves trying to steal the artifacts back from museums that her grandfather robbed from graves and archeological sites around the world and return them to their countries of origin. But when Cincinnati's first artifact stealing mission goes awry, she decides it might be more effective to steal an all-powerful artifact herself that she can use to break the curse - The Spear of Destiny. Unfortunately her race for the spear will pit her against art smugglers and thieves intent on finding the ancient artifact themselves. If you are looking for an Indiana Jones read-alike, this is the perfect for you! Heavy on the adventure with similar levels of mysticism to those seen in th...