Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen

The very first thing that interested me to read this book was the cover of the book itself which clearly illustrated a red headed girl with her bike. Now as for the book itself it was the patterns of how the book progressed that got me more engrossed in the story the use of language on each page, the illustration/pictures used on each page as well. Overall this book showed some great memories, captured the joy of this main character all while being a children’s book.

All her life, Sally Jean has watched big kids on their bicycles and waited impatiently to be as big and as good as they are. When she finally outgrows her training wheels and gets her first big-kid bike, she and Flash (the bike) travel around the neighborhood, doing tricks and making new friends. Soon, though, Sally Jean grows too big to ride Rocket anymore, and begins the search for another bike. Rhyming songs that Sally sings while riding make this a fun read-along, and vivid, painterly illustrations by Cari Best capture visual attention. Suitable for ages 4-8. Recommended purchase.

Sally loved riding bikes; she even started riding when she was just two years old. As she gets older, she seems to outgrow her old bikes. However, the problem is that she didn't have enough money to buy a new one. She worked in Mr. Mettle's yard and even created her own bicycle shop, however, she still did not have enough. Sally then came up with the idea to make a bike from recycled parts. At first, things were not successful. By working day after day to put her bike together, it finally came together. She name her new bike "lightning" and got to ride it all around town. Sometimes we don't need money after all.

I liked this book. It was interesting seeing Sally Jean's age/size progression, and I liked how she recycled items rather than demanding new...she made do with what she had!

It took me three sittings to get through this picture book, so, not that it's bad, I just don't like it all that much.