Children’s books about bikes and biking 🚲

May 28, 2024

Good morning, sweet thing.

I have some big news: last week, I signed a contract with Allison East of North Parade Press. You may recognize Allison from her own Substack newsletter, Editor & Chef. Well, she’s also the head of a small bookish agency and… now my literary agent.

YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY. I, SOMEHOW, HAVE AN AGENT.

THAT IS MY FACE. THAT IS MY NAME. THIS IS REAL.

I’m going to spend this summer writing a proposal (among many other things, ha), Allison will pitch it to editors, an editor will hopefully buy it, and together we will turn Can we read? into a book. A real book. A physical book you can hold in your hands and pull off your shelf when you need the same kind of support I’ve been giving you these past four years.

Allison found me. I have dreamed this dream and developed a lot of backend stuff and even written part of a Can we read? book, but I have done nothing whatsoever re: looking for an agent or even thinking about agents at all. (Up until six days ago, I’m not sure I could have clearly explained what agents even do.)

I’ve just worked and worked and worked and worked and hoped that by creating the best damn newsletter I possibly can, someone would notice and help me 😂

I’m still totally stunned and kind of speechless (despite this speech I’ve just made) and really grateful to Allison for her willingness to take me on.

A lot is changing in my life right now, some of which I will probably tell you, and some of which I probably won’t. But I can say that the Universe is full of surprises, people. And it’s wonderful.

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Mini issue: bikes and biking

Sometimes, a mini issue creates itself. That’s what happened when I received an offer to review Ride Beside Me by Lucy Knisley. Here, I thought, is an idea! (Big Magic, I see you.)

I know some of you live in places and climates where biking happens all year round, and while I know that’s technically possible here in Wisconsin — I think that’s what those really fat tires are for? I have no real idea — when I get on my bike, I just ride like I am five years old, and it brings me tremendous bodily joy but ain’t nobody mounting a snow bank, okay.

Speaking of people who bike through the winter like real badasses: this issue is dedicated to my friend Pratik Prajapati, whose commitment to BIPOC cycling constantly inspires me and reminds me that it’s actually totally possible to be the change.

Here are some book suggestions for you:

Board and picture books

• The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke

• Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen by Cari Best

• Bear on a Bike by Stella Blackstone

• A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts

• Together We Ride by Valerie Bolling

• Go, Bikes, Go! by Addie Boswell

• My Bike by Byron Barton

• The Little Pig, the Bicycle, and the Moon by Pierrette Dube

• I Did It! by Michael Emberley

• Bicycle Bash and Cycle City by Alison Farrell (seek-and-finds — recommended for fans of the Bustletown series)

• I Like My Bike by AG Ferrari

• Bikes for Sale by Carter Higgins

• Spin by Rebecca Yanni

• Elena Rides by Juana Medina (early reader)

• The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett (wordless0

• Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka (I reviewed this in issue No. 37)

• Two Bicycles in Beijing by Teresa Robeson

• Duck on a Bike by David Shannon

• Wild Blue: Taming a Big-Kid Bike by Dashka Slater

• Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule

• Bike & Trike by Elizabeth Verdick

Nonfiction picture books

• Pedal Power: How One Community Became the Bicycle Capital of the World by Allen Drummond

• Bicycle Book by Gail Gibbons

• The Brave Cyclist: The True Story of a Holocaust Hero by Amalia Hoffman

• Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

Chapter books

• The Green Bicycle by Haifaa al-Mansour

• The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss

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Micro review: Ride Beside Me by Lucy Knisley (2024)

I received a copy of this book from Random House Children’s Books — opinions are my own

Are you ready?
I’m ready!
I’m holding on tight.
My helmet is on, and
the morning is bright.

So begins a sweet adventure between mama and kiddo as they hop on their bike and ride through their neighborhood, picking up friends and neighbors — all on their own bikes — along the way.

Eventually, there are so many bikes, they take over in a kind of big, celebratory bike parade — the child here says, “It’s like we’re a club, or a party… or a sea!”, full of all kinds of bikes for all kinds of riders.

Knisley, a comic creator, does an excellent job with her gouache illustrations, using her colorful, fun images and rhythmic text to pick up the pace, not only of the ride but the community vibe — there is a palpable coming together here, a sense of being in it together, not only to foster safer streets and cleaner air but also a brighter future.

This is a great read for toddlers and preschoolers, especially if you follow it up by hopping on a bike.

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Read good books and take good care 😘
Sarah

P.S. All Bookshop.org links are affiliate ones — I receive a small commission if you make a purchase and trust me, this adds up, and I appreciate it.