Franklin Rides a Bike

by Paulette Bourgeois, Brenda Clark (Illustrator)

Overview

In this Franklin Classic Storybook, Franklin is determined to ride his bike without training wheels, and he can't understand why it seems so easy for his friends -- or why it's so hard for him.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554537310
Publisher:	Kids Can Press, Limited
Publication date:	02/28/2011
Series:	Franklin Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	100,957
Product dimensions:	7.20(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.20(d)
Lexile:	370L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Paulette Bourgeois is the author of more than 40 books for children, including the In My Neighborhood series and Oma's Quilt. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Brenda Clark is best known as the illustrator of the original Franklin the Turtle series written by Paulette Bourgeois. Other popular titles she has illustrated include Sadie and the Snowman, Big Sarah's Little Boots, and the award winning, Little Fingerling. Brenda lives in Port Hope, Ontario.

Editorial Reviews

Franklin fans will enjoy this tale of Franklin's attempts at accepting a new friend into the neighborhood. Moose looks awfully different and he is big, but Franklin finds out that he isn't much different than Franklin himself. A nice story of accepting those who look different. Franklin is featured in more than a dozen other stories, including Franklin and the Tooth Fairy, Franklin Rides a Bike, and Franklin's School Play.

Children's Literature - Meredith Kiger

Franklin hasn't learned to ride a bicycle, except with the training wheels in place, while his friends are wheeling all over town. After one spill into the flower garden, he gives up. Finally, he realizes that his friends had trouble learning other things that came easily to him, so he works on riding his bicycle a little harder. Franklin is a turtle, and his friends are other anthropomorphic creatures in the colorful illustrations. Thankfully, all of the characters wear their helmets while riding.

Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen

K-Gr 3--Two books that present slices of life that have significance for children. In Franklin's New Friend, the turtle befriends Moose, who's new in town, even though Franklin is afraid of him because he's so large. In the second title, Franklin feels left out when his friends learn to ride their bikes without training wheels. As he tries to overcome his fear of falling, he realizes that other activities, such as swimming, are easy for him. Finally, he decides to put pads on his knees and elbows, and he learns to ride. In both titles, the writing flows smoothly, while the bright, cheery watercolor illustrations match the books' sunny outlooks. The only drawback, especially in the first title, is the ease with which resolutions are reached. Franklin overcomes his uneasiness around Moose to become his friend all in one morning. While this may be unrealistic, the author does present a positive picture of accepting others regardless of physical differences.--Martha Topol, Traverse Area District Library, Traverse City, MI

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