May marks the celebration of National Bicycle Month, and we’ve gathered a handful of new and forthcoming books for young readers highlighting the history of the bike and the joy it brings to riders.
The Bicycle: How an Act of Kindness Changed a Young Refugee's Life by Patricia McCormick and Mevan Babakar, illus. by Yas Imamura (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, May $19.99 ISBN 978-0-06-305699-2). When young Mevan and her family are forced to leave their home, the gift of a bike offers her a new sense of hope.
A Big Day for Bike by Emily Jenkins, illus. by Brian Karas (Little, Brown/Ottaviano, June 18 $18.99 ISBN 978-0-316-34017-5 ). On her first day as a community bike, Bike encounters her first riders and together they experience a day of adventure.
The Bike Ride by Nelson Goose (Roaring Brook, June 25 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-250-88958-4). Dave and his father enjoy bike rides together but grow worried when they discover that their regular route will be altered by construction.
Birth of the Bicycle: A Bumpy History of the Bicycle in America 1819–1900 by Sarah Nelson, illus. by Iacopo Bruno (Candlewick, July 2 $18.99 ISBN 978-1-5362-1392-8). This picture book traces the development of the bicycle from its first iteration to its modern counterparts.
The Running Machine: The Invention of the Very First Bicycle by Keith Negley (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, July 23 $19.99 ISBN 978-0-06-311982-6). Readers learn the story of Karl Drais, the man who invented the bicycle when his community was in desperate need of transportation.
