- The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
In this wordless picture book, a little girl spies a snazzy green bicycle in a shop window and immediately starts saving in order to buy it. A kindly older woman takes her up on her offer to rake leaves, and the girl continues to help the woman with other odd jobs as the seasons change until she finally has enough for the bike. Taken aback when she finds that the bike has been sold, she instead buys the tricycle that was also in the window and gives it to her jubilant brother. The neighbor lady then surprises her with a gift: the coveted green bike, topped with a big bow. Pett’s sepia-toned ink illustrations against taupe backgrounds carry the thoughtful narrative with an easy grace, and the story scrolls across the pages much like a silent movie, with carefully composed scenes and dynamically posed figures. The only touches of color are the forest green of the yearned-for bicycle and, in a hint of connection to Pett’s previous title The Boy and the Airplane, a red toy airplane in the elderly woman’s garage. Use this with kids to write their own text or as a springboard for a similar savings project. [End Page 473]