I Love My Bike

The unity of text and illustration in this book perfectly captures the ups and downs of learning to ride a bike for the first time. Sam Usher's ink and watercolour illustrations show the physicality of the young girl as she pedals, wobbles, swerves, and leans forward with determination. There is a poetry to Simon Mole's language, moving effortlessly from pacey to reflective, its rhythms, rhymes, alliteration and vowel sounds fitting together like links in a bicycle chain:

There’s a flame on the frame
and I love how it feels
from my head to my heels
when my feet push the pedals and the pedals turn the wheels.

Depicts a mixed heritage family, a wonderful father-daughter relationship, and sings the joys of perseverance.