Bikes

School Library Journal

PreS-KBikes is vintage Rockwell: bright, amusing watercolors that convey a comforting tone and illustrate a very simple text. As in the earlier books (Boats 1982, Trucks 1984, Cars 1984, Planes 1985, Big Wheels 1986, Fire Engines 1986, all Dutton), animals, in this case lovely striped tigers, ``people'' the text. The stylistic use of the first person plural heightens the appeal to the very young, and the final switch to the singular (as the young tiger from whose perspective the text unfolds says, ``Today is my birthday. Today I got a bicycle with training wheels'') reinforces the friendliness of the book. Various kinds of bikes, including tricycles, unicycles, motocycles, mopeds, and trail bikes are included in this introduction to a favorite topic. Rockwell excels at presenting accurate, interesting information in an appealing format for young patrons. Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School Library, South Portland, Maine