Although warned by her brother Joe about the dangers of "bicycle face" - the bulging eyes and scrunched-up expression that female bikers were in danger of getting stuck with, if they pursued the masculine activity of bicycling - Louisa Belinda Bellflower decided to risk it, and learn to cycle. With a pair of borrowed trousers, Joe's patient instruction, and a lot of perseverance, she eventually mastered this new activity. But what would her mother think...?

Although the illustrations from Kelsey Garrity-Riley provide an answer to that question, in their depiction of the children's mother and her suffrage activism, it is still a pleasure watching Louisa being given the encouragement she deserves, when her mother discovers her attire and activities. An informative afterword from author Larissa Theule gives more information about the dawn of cycling, which was initially considered a scandalous and immodest activity for girls and women. "Bicycle Face" was an actual concept, and while either sex could be afflicted with it (in the popular imagination of the day, anyhow), it was more commonly applied to women, as a means of discouraging them from the activity. Informative and entertaining by turns, Born to Ride: A Story About Bicycle Face pairs a simple fictional narrative with a more detailed non-fictional afterword and bright, appealing artwork. Recommended to young cyclists, of whatever sex, and to anyone looking for children's stories about one of the historical restrictions put on young girls' behavior. ( )