Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle

Two-time Caldecott Medalist Raschka (A Ball for Daisy) crafts an encouraging, artful, and eminently practical approach to a childhood rite of passage: learning to ride a bike. Freewheeling watercolors feature a balding man--perhaps an older father or grandfather--and a cautious girl in a blue, watermelon-size helmet. The calm adult offers reassurance, pointing out all-ages bicycle commuters: "Watch everyone ride. They all learned how." He adjusts the training wheels ("If we raise them up a smidge, you'll begin to feel your balance"), and a pictorial sequence shows the girl's wobbly progress. They then remove the training wheels, resulting in some spills ("Oops! You nearly had it"). The girl grows disappointed, and her helper responds with an understanding hug. By the finale, the girl joins other riders in a park, all shaped by light, translucent pools of color. Raschka's breezy conclusion ("You are riding a bicycle! And now you'll never forget how") brings to mind a familiar saying. Adults will close the book with a lump in their throats, children with a firm sense of purpose. Ages 4-8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Apr.) ■

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 2--In his latest foray into childhood territory, Raschka explores the roles of adult and child in achieving one of the most challenging milestones of growing up-mastering a two-wheeler. The large, hand-lettered title framing the successful rider on the cover conveys the positive outcome, so the page turns are all about "how?" The story is narrated by an adult, presumably the father, but not limited to this relationship by text or image. The girl's thoughts are all expressed visually. When the two are picking out a new bicycle and then watching other riders, the busy pages portray colorful examples, some surrounded by washes of watercolor, others set against the white background; all are connected with small strokes that animate the compositions. Clad in an enormous, blue-striped helmet, the child is watchful, then tireless, as she practices with training wheels. The narrator admits that taking them off is "a bit scary," and the remaining scenes depict a brave girl in various stages of falling, trying, and being comforted and encouraged. In some close-ups, the heart on her shirt is askew, likely mimicking her actual pulse. Her legs, painted in thin, blue strokes, exhibit a fragile flexibility that expresses volumes. Raschka's well-chosen words, spread over several pages, admonish: "Find the courage to try it again, /again, and again... until/by luck, grace, and determination, /you are riding/a bicycle!" The artist's marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment.--Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred Review, Booklist, April 15, 2013:
"Deceptively simple and perfectly paced for read-alouds, this latest from the two-time Caldecott medalist captures a child's everyday experience with gentle, joyful sensitivity."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 25, 2013:
"Adults will close the book with a lump in their throats, children with a firm sense of purpose."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2013:
"A wry, respectful ode to a rite of passage that's both commonplace and marvelous. This is one fun ride!"

Starred Review, School Library Journal, March 2013:
"The artist's marvelous sequences, fluid style, and emotional intelligence capture all of the momentum and exhilaration of this glorious accomplishment."