Only a few books recently have made me cry due to subject matter. (I’ve cried because they were poorly written and the only good thing I can say is they keep loggers and paper factories in business). Therefore, when I say The Bicycle Girl: Jyoti Kumari’s Amazing Journey Across India: (A True Story of Bravery, Determination, and Family Love Set in India During the Pandemic) made me cry, it is a good cry. Garen Thomas, Suhasini Raj, and illustrator Maithili Joshi made a picture book based on a true story that reads as fiction. This means it is smooth, and not a lot of “just the facts” to bog things down. The information only adds to the overall picture.
And speaking of pictures, they are drop down gorgeous. They are colorful, informative as they bring into play the culture our main character thinks and talks about, and expressive. Things are a little bit on the longer or busy side of things, so I am not fully convinced that it is for the younger age recommendation of ages 4 to 7. I would go for at least 5 and up to around 9, and older can do even if it is a picture book. It works well for women’s history, contemporary history, India studies, and pandemic stories that don’t focus on the illness, but the effect it had on people.
Several extras on the story (word got out our gal did this event and people responded most kindly and generously). There are photographs and information about the caste system and India overall. If I have to sum things up all I will say: Just read this great story of one girl and her power of love and determination because you’ll not regret it. (Read via online reader copy, though currenlty out.) 
