A little girl sees a shiny new bicycle in the shop window. She hurries home to see if she has enough money in her piggy bank, but when she comes up short, she knocks on the doors of her neighbors, hoping to do their yard work. They all turn her away except for a kindly old woman. The woman and the girl work through the seasons, side by side. They form a tender friendship. When the weather warms, the girl finally has enough money for the bicycle. She runs back to the store, but the bicycle is gone! What happens next shows the reward of hard work and the true meaning of generosity. Wordless, timeless, and classic, The Girl and the Bicycle carries a message of selflessness and sweet surprises and makes an ideal gift for graduations and other special occasions.
Writer and illustrator Mark Pett has practiced his craft in Philadelphia, Prague, the Mississippi Delta, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In addition to illustrating several books, Mark is the “authorstrator” of The Boy and the Airplane and The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes. He is also the creator of the syndicated comic strips Mr. Lowe and Lucky Cow. He lives in Salt Lake City. Visit him at MarkPett.com.
Read Aloud Tips
- Introduce the book by asking the students about a time when they really wanted something and had to work very hard for it.
- Look through the pictures and have the students guess what will happen next.
- Before finishing the book, have the students predict what the little girl will do when she realizes the bike is gone?
- Use the book to introduce a kindness initiative in the classroom, having students selflessly do good things for others.
Like an old black-and-white movie, this companion to The Boy and the Airplane (2013) will remain charming and relevant—the old story about what you get when you give never really gets old. – Kirkus Reviews