Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride

A story about a girl who proves she can ride faster than a group of dismissive boys introduces readers to Bessie Stringfield, an African-American motorcyclist active in the 1930s and ’40s. The imagined tale centers on her reactions to being “told she was not enough,” and its somewhat predictable plot, in which Stringfield shows she is a faster cyclist than thosetaunting her, feels tame compared to her rule-breaking life. A substantial afterword includes details such as how Stringfield “became one of the first women to ride a motorcycle across America” and earned extra money performing in circuses, and notes her penchant for embellishing her own story. Slick, full-color illustrations in a comics style match the story’s contemporary sensibility, with whooshing curves showing Bessie’s speed and a triumphant, if ahistorical, high-five accented by jagged red emanata. Ages 4–8. ([em]Feb.) [/em]