During the pandemic, I was in an office by myself due to health issues and not able to wear a mask easily. This made finding random books a tiny bit harder than usual (though, anyone who is a “true book-nerd” knows that we always find a way to find books). However, now that I am back at my regular desk (hello drawers to hide goodies in!) I wander over to the stacks of received books maybe too often. And one day the find was Bike & Trike by Elizabeth Verdick.
The publisher says that this book is “Toy Story meets Cars.” And while I am not sure if a trike and a new bike really is along that level, it is about growing up. Trike and Lulu did everything together. But one day, Lulu is too big for Trike, and Trike sits in the corner, banged, and bumped up, lonely, waiting. Until the day a new shiny bike with four-wheels comes along. Flashy and new, Bike likes to brag and show off. But Trike worries Bike might not be the best fit for Lulu. But then again, maybe Bike will be alright after all when the two get into an adventure together and some Special lessons are learned by both of them.
There are some puns (Bike, having training wheels has four wheels, so when he gets a little too adventurous, he says he is going, “four-wheeling”) and clues to what might come about. The illustrations of Brian Biggs show the light-heartedness, the bang-ups and the fun. They are simple, not simplistic, and detailed to move the story forward. It might not become a classic, but it is a book that might become a favorite of the five- to eight-year-old crowd.
