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Reviewed by:
  • The Best Bike Ride Ever
  • Jeannette Hulick
Proimos, James . The Best Bike Ride Ever; illus. by Johanna Wright. Dial, 2012. [32p]. ISBN 978-0-8037-3850-8 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-7 yrs.

Ebullient young Bonnie O'Boy is excited to finally get a bike after seven straight days of asking for one ("I want a bike! I want a bike! I want a bike!"), so she rides off before her parents can give her any instruction (or a helmet). Unfortunately, Bonnie does not know how to stop the bike, and she proceeds to ride it over, on, and through a variety of obstacles and situations, including a jaunt over an enormous elephant and a trip up the Statue of Liberty. Bonnie loves it ("Not stopping was thrilling. Not stopping was breathtaking") until she doesn't ("Not stopping was— 'Oh, yipes!' 'Watch out for that truck!'"). Luckily for Bonnie, the aforementioned truck is a toy, and while her collision results in a scraped knee, after a Band-Aid, a hug, a helmet, and a lesson about operating the bike's brakes, Bonnie is soon ready for more cycling adventures. While Bonnie rides on (now safely), she thus begins making a new wish: "I want a pony!" Repeated words and phrases and droll storytelling make Proimos' text a snappy readaloud selection, and the bike-riding subject matter and outlandish obstacles will appeal to kids as well. Wright's whimsical, childlike art (rendered in layers of acrylic paint on canvas and outlined with scratchy strokes of India ink) adds a visual twist for kids to appreciate: careful viewers will note that all of the "obstacles" Bonnie encounters are actually in her own yard. Thus, the Statue of Liberty that she scales is actually a toppled garden statue and the elephant she rides over is actually a large toy lying in the grass. This is a refreshing change from typical books about kids learning to ride a bike, and youngsters will respond to Bonnie's enthusiastic approach—just be sure to get the kids helmeted and the bikes prepped before reading.

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