MARTA AND THE BICYCLE

Anyone who thinks cows are dumb and slow has never met Marta. A trendsetter who thinks for herself, she likes the quiet kind of transportation, but she likes testing her limits, too. So while her bovine friends dream of becoming train engineers, Marta sets out to build herself a bicycle. Determined, Marta finds parts in a junkyard, but when she’s done, she’s going to race her custom-made bike, and quicker than you can say Lance Armstrong, she does. Before that, however, she must learn to ride in a strikingly droll couple of pages (just think: cow on bike) that are a lesson for children learning to ride themselves. Indeed, newcomer Zullo doesn’t forget his young audience while recounting all the simple fun and then providing a twist ending. A visit to Switzerland would bring, among other souvenirs, images of mountains, cows, and brightly clad bike riders. Equally, the French Swiss author—along with illustrator Albertine, who is from Geneva—turns the legendary fondness of his countrymen for cows and bicycle riding into a cartoon-bright, happy can-do character and a story with a subtle sprinkling of a French lesson for good measure. Marta’s indomitable spirit plunging forth into new experiences is hard to resist. (Picture book. 4-8)