Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen [Hardcover]

Cari Best (Author), Christine Davenier (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

I can pop a wheelie, I can touch the sky,
I can pedal backwards, I can really fly!

Sally Jean was born to ride. And her bicycle, Flash, is just about her best friend. But one day something terrible – and wonderful – happens. Sally Jean grows. Suddenly she finds herself too big
for Flash. What’s a Bicycle Queen to do? Finally, by collecting old bicycle parts to make a new bike – and giving Flash to a young friend who longs for a bigger bike of his own – she rides
again!

With exuberant art that’s just the right match for Sally Jean’s new found freedom, this joyous text celebrates growing up, learning new skills, and giving back to the community.

Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2 As a toddler, Sally Jean rides on the back of her mother's bicycle. She graduates to a tricycle at age two. By age four, she has her own yard-sale bike with training wheels. Those baby wheels come off the next year and she becomes Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen, who rides like a pro on her bike named Flash. By the time Sally Jean is eight, she has outgrown her beloved Flash. Her parents can't afford a new bike, but her neighbor, a junk collector, comes to her rescue. In exchange for cleaning his yard, he gives Sally Jean used parts. Soon she is repairing other kids' bikes, but still doesn't have one of her own until the child comes up with an idea. Davenier's ink-and-watercolor illustrations are light and airy and convey a variety of emotions and delightful details. Sally Jean is a real charmer, and children will appreciate her resourcefulness and tenacity. Pair this terrific book with Bruce McMillan's The Remarkable Riderless Runaway Tricycle (Apple Island Bks, 1985) or Jim Aylesworth's My Sister's Rusty Bike (S & S, 1996) for a storyhour with a great deal of flash. Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Thanks to its adjustable seat and handlebars, Sally Jean's bright red two-wheeler, which she calls "Flash," grows right along with its rider. But pretty soon "there was no more room for raising," and no money to buy a bigger bike. At first despairing, resourceful Sally Jean eventually solves the problem using her imagination, advice from a kindly junk shop owner, and her mechanical skills. Sally Jean's DIY inclinations are too subtly implied to support the large role they play in the resolution, and the periodic singsong refrains, though disarmingly zealous, do not always read smoothly ("I'm a plane, I'm a train, / I'm a girl up on a horse. / I'm Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen, / And my bike is Flash, of course!"). But the conclusion is perfectly pitched, and Davenier's spontaneous, ebullient watercolors, reminiscent of the work of Marc Simont, flesh out Sally Jean's world with fond details of neighborhood, family, and friends, and capture the irresistible qualities of a little girl who knows how to make things happen. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374363862
• ISBN-13: 978-0374363864
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,134 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have read this book a million times!, July 10, 2006

By 

A. Henrich "Mom to a Kid" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen (Hardcover)

This is my 3 year-old's current favorite - it's got it all: Bike riding action, singing (we made up tunes to the rhymes), construction, drama...sharing. Lots of fun; it's the most requested bedtime reading, by far. We originally got it from the library, but have decided to invest in a copy of our own. If your child is a bike-riding fan, this book is a must-have.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplifting and Encouraging, March 17, 2009

By 

Redheaded Runner (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen (Hardcover)

I'm not sure if it was the illustration of a red-headed girl on the cover that called to me (I am one of 3 red-heads living in my house, after all), or the captivating title that urged me to get this book. Whatever the reason, we are all glad to have it in our home - this book is WONDERFUL!

We follow Sally Jean from her earliest years when she was perched in the kid seat on her mother's bike to her confident, independent years when she worked to build herself a new bike. Best's use of patterns make the book a delightful read for my kids (4.5 and 2).

In the beginning we see Sally Jean waving from behind her mom, or on her tricycle or on her "yard-sale bike with two small wheels that hugged the ground". In all these instances, we're treated with Sally Jean's optimism and delight for riding with the same simple phrase. '"Hi!" she said to the big kids on their bikes."

My son cheered for her when she finally develops the skills to count herself among the ranks of two-wheel riders. '"Wait for meeee!" she called to the big kids on their bikes."

As a former little girl, I find myself drawn to the optimistic energy and celebration of outdoor adventure in Sally Jean. Davenier's illustrations more than capture the joy that Sally Jean finds in life. I can almost see myself in them, despite the fact that bike riding was a tumultuous and difficult skill for me to learn (we lived at the bottom of a hill right off a main drag . . . not fabulous for kids to enthusiastically acquire the skills!). In fact, this book almost erases those memories of apprehension - now I can live vicariously through a fellow-redhead. That's the magic of books, right?

As a mother, I see Sally Jean as a positive role model (and even heroine!) for my children. At one point she finds that she has outgrown her treasured bike, Flash. Undaunted by the expense of a new bicycle, Sally Jean heads out to earn money (teaching bicycle maintenance and repair to the neighbor children, of course!) to buy used parts and build her own new bike, Lightening, with the help of a mentor. I also like that this girl is out living life, moving her body and having a blast!

This book really has it all: shared family experiences, community building, problem solving, celebration, mentoring (she takes a small child under her wing, too!), and the joy of childhood.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars She's done it again, another great kids book!, April 25, 2006

By 

kt94 "kt94" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen (Hardcover)

My favorite children's book author, Cari Best captures the independence and creativity of children with her wonderful language. I'd been waiting for this book to be released and I certainly wasn't disappointed! My five year old declared -- I love this book!