Big Bike, Little Bike
Ride along as a cast of characters including a pigeon, rhinoceros, turtle, humans and more discover a bike and take it for a spin. When the rhino discards the bike because it is too small, a turtle gives it a try and declares it is too big! This playful story invites readers to consider different perspectives and conveys the message that something no longer needed by one person can bring joy to another. Readers can pedal through pages as they wobble, thump, squeak, and zap with the riders on this reading adventure!
Pennsylvania Center for the Book Awards
Book Activities & Discussion Ideas
Dotted lines throughout the illustrations follow the path of the bike as it moves from one owner to the next. Children may even trace the path with their fingers. When children have the opportunity to engage with books in this more tactile way, it shows their curiosity and understanding that print has meaning. Following the bike’s journey also supports understanding that the same bike is perceived in unique ways by each owner. To extend this idea through play. consider adding paths using paper, chalk, or tape to play areas where children can push or ride vehicles along the pathway. To have fun while boosting vocabulary, choose an object and ask children or family members to describe it with one word. The variety of responses is often surprising and delightful.
It’s important for adults to have a few moments to preview this book prior to reading to young children. As they turn the pages, they will see that the way that the words used to describe the same bike throughout the story depends on the perspective of the character describing it! Before reading, adults and children can pause on the first page showing a bike with a for sale sign. What words would they use to describe the bike they see? Do they think it will be fast or slow? Big or small? Clean or dirty? Asking questions to prompt prediction is a way to support children’s literacy development, and readers can reflect after reading on whether their predictions were similar or different from the book.