Pedal It!: How Bicycles Are Changing the World by Michelle Mulder (review)

Cycling enthusiast Mulder shares her passion for human powered transport and offers kids a glimpse at the ways bicycles are used in other countries, showcasing feats of innovation and balance that leave our best efforts at recreation and conservation in their dust. Opening chapters cover the well-traveled routes of bicycle development and social history, but Mulder really gains traction when she hits the international cycling scene. Here we see varying systems of bicycle sharing and cheap rental; sustainable grown and cost effective bamboo bicycle frames; food businesses hauled on bikes; preschooler group bicycle transport in the Netherlands; a bicycle ambulance service in Namibia. Uses for stationary bikes are also covered, ranging from pedal-powered electricity, to battery charging, blood centrifuging, and knife sharpening. Color photographs are often a bit too small or inconveniently cropped to convey all the details a reader might want to see, but pictures of bicyclists toting a man-sized stack of firewood, a wide load of sugar cane, or a pile of luggage (not to mention the massive bread tray balanced on the rider's head) will leave even casual browsers with plenty of new information to ponder. A list of resources in various media and an index are included.