ON OUR BIKES

With helmets buckled and wheels whirring, this rhyming picture book speeds into the joy of a shared bike ride.

A diverse group of kids and their grown-ups gear up to ride bikes throughout the town. Classic two-wheelers, adaptive bikes, bikes with toddler seats and cargo trailers, tricycles, and balance bikes make up the fleet. The group rides along green-painted, protected bike lanes, through parks, from the zoo to the dentist, and in every sort of weather imaginable. Ink and digital illustrations with brightly saturated colors and clean linework give the scenes a sense of movement as the bikes zip by. Slightly stylized figures and dramatic shifts in visual perspective create energy, matching the celebratory tone of the text. The playful, alternating rhyme scheme has a strong rhythmic punch that is primed for a read-aloud, though occasional breaks in the meter interrupt the flow. The text’s point of view shifts from one rider to the next, which is at times confusing but serves to give everyone a voice and underscore the community-centered mindset. The characters are depicted with a range of skin tones and body types. One rider is pictured with a prosthetic leg, and, in one nice moment, a male-presenting child proudly rides a pink bike with streamers, gently challenging gender stereotypes.

Feel-good, two-wheeled fun.