Did you know that May is National Bike Month? I still remember the first time I tried to ride my pretty lavender bike without training wheels. My dad pushed me down the long driveway on the side of our house, and I lost control and scraped my elbow on the brick wall. Suffice it to say that it took a while to regain my confidence! Moral of the story: go to a wide, open space when teaching your kids how to ride a bike.
National Bike Month was created in 1956 to encourage more people to take advantage of the many benefits of biking: saving money, decreasing your carbon footprint, and improving your health. Plus, it’s just plain fun!
Here are nine of our favorite books about bicycles.
My Bike by Byron Barton (board book)
The colorful illustrations and simple text make this book perfect for tots. Tom introduces his green bicycle (complete with labeled parts) and bikes around his community, ending up in a surprising place.
Hello, Bicycle! by Ella Boyd (picture book)
Author Ella Boyd uses simple, rhyming text to tell the story of a girl learning to transition from a tricycle to a “big girl bike,” as my daughter would say. The cheerful illustrations and sing-song words are sure to draw in young readers. (The story is rather short, though, so I wouldn’t recommend it to readers older than five.)
Duck on a Bike by David Shannon (picture book) ✪Eliana’s Pick!✪
Duck decides that riding a bike looks like fun, so he borrows the farm boy’s bicycle and teaches himself to ride. The other animals think he is silly, but when a group of the boy’s friends visit him and leave their bikes outside unattended, all the animals want to give it a try!
Eric’s Big Day: A Bicycle Race Unlike Any Other by Rod Waters (picture book)
Eric plans to meet his friend Emily for a picnic near the finish line of the bicycle race, so he packs his bag and takes off. Along the way, he stops to help several hapless cyclists, cleverly repurposing items from his knapsack. But all of his kindness has made him late for his picnic with Emily! Will Eric arrive in time?
Joseph’s Big Ride by Terry Farrish (picture book)
This gentle story tells of Joseph, a refugee boy whose most fervent wish is to ride a bicycle. When he arrives with his mother in America, he finds the chance to ride a bike and make a new friend.
Gracie Goat’s Big Bike Race by Erin Mirabella (picture book)
Gracie Goat’s friends are entering a bike race, and Gracie wants to join in the fun but is ashamed to admit she does not know how to ride a bike. Her grandmother helps her to face her fears so that she can achieve her goal of riding in the race. This book also includes some interesting fitness tips for kids and a glossary of biking styles.
The Red Bicycle: the Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bicycle by Jude Isabella (picture book)
This inspirational story follows the life of Big Red, a treasured bike. It starts its life in North America as a young boy’s prized possession, but when the boy grows up, he realizes that he has outgrown Big Red and decides to donate it to someone who truly needs it. Big Red’s life takes a dramatic turn when it gets sent to Africa, helping people to access the market, deliver medicine, and take people to the hospital. The author includes a section to help guide children in making donations and volunteering, making this a truly valuable book for broadening children’s worldviews. (With large amounts of text on each page, I recommend this for upper elementary students.)
Simple Bike Maintenance: Time for a Tune-Up! by Lisa J. Amstutz (nonfiction picture book)
If you’re looking for a solid non-fiction book to teach bicycle care, this is a good choice.
The Green Bicycle by Haifaa Al-Mansour (middle grades chapter book)
This coming of age story takes aim at gender roles, cultural norms, and the importance of family. Wadidja lives in Saudi Arabia, where it is considered improper for girls to ride bikes. Still, she sets about earning enough money to buy her own bike and risks everything–including being expelled from school– to achieve her dream.
Happy Reading!