Learning to ride a bike is one of those big milestones in childhood. I remember my kids teetering on their bikes around the basketball courts by our house around their fifth birthday learning to pedal. Today’s booklist is a collection of stories celebrating bicycles, bikes, and learning to ride them.
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Picture Books about Bicycles
1. Wild Blue
by Dashka Slater & Laura Hughes
Kayla loves riding her bike, but Daddy says it’s time for a new, two wheeled bike. I love the imagination of the little girl who compares her new bike to a wild horse. (Early elementary teachers could have some fun with this book to explain metaphor). This is a darling book about trying new things and trying again when you fail. A great read aloud.
2. Together We Ride
by Valerie Bolling
illustrated by Kaylani Juanita
Full of bright illustrations and rhyming text this is a fantastic one for reading aloud. Great book about learning to ride a bike.
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3. Duck on a Bike
by David Shannon
Duck finds a bike in the yard and decides to give it a try. As he rides around the yard the other animals have varied opinions about this, but what will they do when a whole gang of bikes gets left in the yard? Absolutely hilarious.
4. Elena Rides
by Juana Medina
This is a darling easy reader about an elephant learning to ride. A good one for newer readers but also works as a read aloud with preschoolers.
5. Joy Ride
by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Ana Ramírez González
A little girl named Joy decides to fix up an old bike with her Grandad one summer. She makes it exactly how she wants, full of joy and fancy bits. When she gets made fun of she has to decide how to deal with having a different opinion and being teased. The relationships, the tinkering, and the messages about being yourself are all lovely layers.
6. The Girl and the Bicycles
by Mark Pett
A warm story about working for something you want and generosity. I love a good wordless story and this is just that. I love the relationship between the girl and her neighbor almost as I love the muted art style. Fantastic book.
7. A Bike Like Sergio’s
by Maribeth Boelts
illustrated by Noah Z. Jones
A great pick for elementary students. This book does an excellent job with a tough topic and offers changes to learn different perspectives, think about priorities and difficult decisions but all couched in a very readable story.
8. Two Dogs on a Trike
by Gabi Snyder illustrated by Robin Rosenthal
I adore a counting book with a good story and this one is oh so fun. The words are concise and encourage little ones to count the growing number of dogs and later subtract as the dogs depart. The illustrations however tell the story of a rather determined cat chasing after them. This adds an excellent layer of suspense, adventure and humor that will keep kids coming back to this book again and again. A counting book with dogs, cats, all manner of transportation, and a little humor – really what more could you want? A excellent book for toddlers and preschoolers learning to count.
9. My Bike
by Byron Barton
This one is a great pick for the littlest cyclists. It is a cute board book that is part of a transportation series by Barton.
10. Bicycle Book
by Gail Gibbons
Gibbons has long been the queen of simple nonfiction books. Her books are all clear, informative, and interesting. This one is obviously all about bicycles and full of interesting facts and history.
