Elena monta en bici Elena rides

Gr 1--3--Elena is a determined elephant with a faithful bird friend. She puts on her helmet, gets on her bike, and starts to ride. Unfortunately, Elena has a few falls and bumps along the way. She tries hard to ride her bike and her friend flies with her every step of the way. After one too many falls, she becomes equally determined never to ride that bike again. But her steadfast pal gives her the encouragement she needs. With a renewed confidence, and help from her friend, Elena rides up and down hills, she rides fast, she rides slow. She can ride a bike! This sweet story about doing difficult things will have children rooting for Elena to get back up again. Medina's simple text and liberal use of white space make this a helpful work for emerging readers. The bright illustrations and strong lines will keep kids engaged, while the friendship story will ring true. VERDICT This repeated and reassuring text will remind beginning readers that no matter how many times you may fall, you can always try again.--Melanie Ortega

Medina (Juana & Lucas, rev. 11/16) gives new readers an inviting, cheerful take on the developmental milestone of learning to ride a bike. Elena, an elephant, straps on her helmet and, with the encouragement of her small bird friend, attempts to ride a ­two-wheeler. âeoeKA-BANG!âe ends one ride. âeoeKA-PLUNK!âe ends another. The illustrations use thick lines and bold solid colors to focus readersâe(tm) attention on Elena, the bird, and the bike. The text is minimal, to the point, and appropriate for a new reader, but itâe(tm)s also musical, playful, and fun to read aloud. Elena âeoereadiesâe and âeoesteadies,âe and she âeoewobblesâe and âeoebobbles.âe Repetition of words and sound blends serves the needs of children who are building confidence sounding words out, without bogging the story down. The illustrations and sometimes even text placement support decoding. On one page Elena âeoegoes up and down and all around,âe and we see the corresponding images and text slope up and down the page. After a few tries and some tears, Elena gets the hang of the bike, an apt metaphor for the challenge of learning to read. There are plenty of books about learning to ride a bike, but this oneâe(tm)s approachability for its intended audience, bright imagery, and good humor place it near the front of the peloton. Concurrently published in Spanish as Elena monta en bici, as well as in a bilingual (English/Spanish) edition. Adrienne L. PettinelliMarch/April 2023 p.73 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.