Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen

K-Gr 2 -As a toddler, Sally Jean rides on the back of her mother's bicycle. She graduates to a tricycle at age two. By age four, she has her own yard-sale bike with training wheels. Those baby wheels come off the next year and she becomes Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen, who rides like a pro on her bike named Flash. By the time Sally Jean is eight, she has outgrown her beloved Flash. Her parents can't afford a new bike, but her neighbor, a junk collector, comes to her rescue. In exchange for cleaning his yard, he gives Sally Jean used parts. Soon she is repairing other kids' bikes, but still doesn't have one of her own -- until the child comes up with an idea. Davenier's ink-and-watercolor illustrations are light and airy and convey a variety of emotions and delightful details. Sally Jean is a real charmer, and children will appreciate her resourcefulness and tenacity. Pair this terrific book with Bruce McMillan's The Remarkable Riderless Runaway Tricycle (Apple Island Bks, 1985) or Jim Aylesworth's My Sister's Rusty Bike (S & S, 1996) for a storyhour with a great deal of flash." - Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission

An exuberant, can-do spirit pervades Best's ("Three Cheers for Catherine the Great!") uplifting tale of a girl whose passion enables her to create opportunities out of roadblocks. Davenier's (the Iris and Walter books) watercolors initially create a sense of forward motion. The story opens with a redheaded one-year-old waving from a child's seat on Mama's bike, then progresses through the tricycle, bicycle-with-training-wheels, training-wheels-removal, seat-raising and handle-bar raising stages. In one picture, arms widespread, Sally Jean joyfully sings: "I can pop a wheelie, I can touch the sky, / I can pedal backwards, I can really fly!" When, at eight, she outgrows her bike, the family's financial challenges become apparent -they can't afford a bike. Without a hint of self-pity, Sally Jean confronts her circumstances with ingenuity, optimism and hard work, aided by a community that finds numerous, nonfinancial ways to support her. Though she faces adult realities, whimsical artistic touches emphasize her child's world view; her toy elephant, for instance, energetically participates in all activities. Sally Jean follows her eventual triumphant achievement of fashioning a new bike with a generous act that closes the story on a heartwarming note. Ages 4-8. (May)

Copyright 2006 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission