ELLERY'S MAGIC BICYCLE

In Monte’s picture book, a little girl is befriended by a very unusual bike.

When Ellery discovers an old, abandoned purple bicycle, it springs to joyful life, shaking off “mud, dints, and rust” and happily following Ellery home at her hopeful invitation: “Come with me?” The bike teaches the child how to ride it and the two become inseparable playmates. As Ellery grows bigger, the bicycle obligingly grows to fit her. It comforts the girl when she’s sad and even helps her make friends with the prickly boy next door, who joins in their adventures. The story’s fantasy element is delightfully matter-of-fact, as nobody questions how the bike came to life or where it came from. It simply is—and so is the underlying tenderness that Monte brings to her narrative as Ellery passes through childhood to her “daredevil” teenage years and adulthood. For a time, the bicycle gathers dust and spiderwebs, but the satisfying, celebratory conclusion is sure to please the preschool- and elementary-school–age children in the book’s target audience. Prolific children’s book illustrator Saunders matches the narrative’s action and tone with delicate, expressive watercolor-and-ink images that charm with subtle detail and bring the magical bicycle to life without anthropomorphizing it.

A fantasy grounded in real life with a gentle message about loyal friendship.