  | Born to ride : a story about bicycle face Author: Theule, Larissa | |
| Price: $23.08 | ||
Summary:
In Rochester, New York, in 1896, Louisa Belinda Bellflower defies convention and ignores her brother's warnings by learning to ride a bicycle. Includes a history of bicycling and its connection to the women's rights movement.
| Illustrator: | Garrity-Riley, Kelsey |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: LG Reading Level: 2.70 Points: .5 Quiz: 501068 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (02/01/19)
School Library Journal (04/01/19)
Booklist (03/01/19)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 03/01/2019 In Rochester, New York, circa 1896, young Louise Belinda admires her brother Joe's brand-new Van Cleve bicycle. Women and girls are discouraged from cycling by uncomfortable clothing and rumors of bicycle face (which claims the struggle to balance will leave females with bulging eyes and clenched jaws), but Louise Belinda dons a pair of her brother's pants and convinces him to teach her to ride. She falls many times but eventually succeeds, gratified to learn that her own bicycle face is a gigantic, joyous smile. Garrity-Riley's sunny art features round-faced, pink-cheeked characters; a palette of blues and browns, highlighted with splashes of red and yellow; and many period details. A visual subplot involves the children's mother, who is depicted painting voting rights posters, welcoming fellow suffragettes to tea, sewing her own bloomers, and taking a bicycle ride with her daughter. Wordless spreads bookend the story: the first depicts only males bicycling through town; the last portrays females riding and a suffragette meeting in progress. Appended with notes on cycling and women's rights. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 04/01/2019 PreS-Gr 2-This is the story of one girl's determination to learn to ride her brother's bike despite the apparent risk of "bicycle face," a demeaning term meant to deter women from the freedom and joy of cycling in the late 1800s. Armed with just a pair of her brother's pants and her determination, Louisa Belinda Bellflower does learn to ride and realizes that bicycle face is a myth. Though she initially tries to hide the lessons her brother gives her from her mother, Louisa's mother turns out to be an advocate of her daughter's antics. In the end, mother and daughter are seen wearing pants and wheeling their bikes toward a suffragette rally. Following this inspiring story are historical accounts of women and the bicycle movement, as well as many facts about suffrage and the journey toward the right to vote. The illustrations accent the story beautifully. VERDICT This unique tale of an important time in American history is a must-buy for any elementary library; it begs to be put on display during Women's History Month.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
