Pedal It! How Bicycles Are Changing the World

In one of two titles launching the Orca Footprints line, which examines topics relating to the natural world, Mulder looks into the history of the bicycle, the mechanics of how they work, and ways they are used around the world (color photographs show a bamboo bike in Ghana, nine preschoolers in a “bicycle bus” in Amsterdam, and a bike-powered smoothie blender in Guatemala). Mulder’s writing is entertaining and accessible, and numerous sidebars about bicycle trivia and notes on the ways bikes have impacted the author’s life add to the substantial information offered. Simultaneously available: Down to Earth: How Kids Help Feed the World. Ages 8–12. (May)