The Red Bicycle: The Extraordinary Story of One Ordinary Bicycle

Blending fiction and nonfiction, Isabella (Chitchat) chronicles a bicycle’s long journey as it transforms lives across continents. A North American boy named Leo diligently saves up his money to buy a bike he calls Big Red. After Leo outgrows Big Red, he donates it to an organization that sends needed bicycles abroad. Via truck and freighter, Big Red makes its way to Burkina Faso and a girl named Alisetta, who uses it to aid her family’s sorghum business. When Big Red is damaged in an accident, Alisetta, lacking funds for repairs, donates it to a man who refurbishes it as an ambulance. Rendered in a muted palette, Shin’s rough-textured illustrations capture the joy in the faces of each new caretaker of Big Red. Endnotes provide information about the story’s West African setting and explain how readers can get involved in bicycle-donation efforts. A vibrant introduction to the ripple effects that repurposing tools and objects can have, particularly for readers growing up in a society prone to disposability. Ages 8–12. Illustrator’s agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. (Mar.)