Monsieur Albert Rides to Glory

by Peter Smith, Bob Graham (Illustrator)

Overview

Bob Graham's first ever illustrated book, never before published, is a gently humorous take on the Tour de France

There's a hush in the crowd as the mayor lifts his gun,
then an ear-splitting Bang! and the race has begun,
with a flashing of goggles and pale cyclists' knees,
and a murmuring sound like the bumble of bees.

Monsieur Albert enters the Grand Cycle Race, but he's up against Francois, the champion of France. Can he possibly win? Witty text and gentle, funny illustrations by Bob Graham make this story a classic, ideal for reading aloud to young and old.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781742376806
Publisher:	Allen & Unwin Pty., Limited
Publication date:	06/01/2013
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Peter Smith is a cycling fanatic and works in a bookstore. Bob Graham is an award-winning children's book author and illustrator whose books include Dimity Dumpty; How to Heal a Broken Wing, winner of the Charlotte Zolotow award and shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal; Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child, winner of the Kate Greenaway medal; and "Let's Get A Pup!" Said Kate, winner of the Boston Globe-Horn book award and shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway medal.

Editorial Reviews

…perfectly silly…with magnifique illustrations from Graham.

The New York Times Book Review - Pamela Paul

"There's so much wonderful whimsy here, it's hard to know what to praise first. As always, a major treat is Graham's detail-filled artwork."  —Booklist, starred review of April and Esme Tooth Fairies

"A distant cousin to 'The Tortoise and the Hare' in loosely sketched watercolors and delicious dactyls."  —Kirkus Reviews 

"[A] perfectly silly story. . . with magnifique illustrations." —New York Times

"Graham’s warm and humorous illustrations make Albert an unlikely but lovable champion." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 3?4—When Albert, an elderly Parisian cyclist, decides to enter a local race, he finds himself up against handsome young François, who looks more like he belongs in a boy band than on a bike. Readers will cheer the slow but determined Albert as the rhythm of each rhyming line keeps pace with his journey over mountains, through snack breaks and cramped muscles. Atop a snowy peak, he narrowly escapes a giant snowball that sweeps the other racers, fancy François included, and launches them down the slope, through the countryside, and off a cliff into the sea. Luckily for them, they all survive both the giant avalanche and potential drowning to witness Albert's triumph. Smith's text successfully incorporates cycling vocabulary and French words by giving readers a pronunciation guide in the rhyme scheme. Graham's warm and humorous illustrations make Albert an unlikely but lovable champion.—Jenna Boles, Greene County Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

Framing a distant cousin to "The Tortoise and the Hare" in loosely sketched watercolors and delicious dactyls, Graham and his brother-in-law present an aging but game Parisian who quixotically enters a bicycle race to the Côte d'Azur. Having impulsively lined up against hotshots like "handsome young François, surrounded by girls, / with a sneer on his lips and a shine on his curls," 60-year-old Albert sets off on the grueling course and resolutely pedals on as others whiz by. Having labored through days of rain and snow, he reaches the top of the mountain pass at last--in time to watch as a giant snowball plummets past, snatches up all the other cyclists and plunges into the sea far below. As the erstwhile entrants drag their way to shore, Albert "rides into Nice, / with an escorting bevy of mounted police. / A hug from a film star, a kiss from the mayor, / for Albert Larousse--cyclist extraordinaire!" The verses' clever rhymes and the handwritten-style typeface both complement Graham's informal scenes of the balding, white-haired gent plugging along or sitting at his ease with bread and wine as flocks of helmeted cyclists zoom past--and ultimately holding up a golden trophy in triumph. Bravo! Slow and steady wins the race--though being tardy enough to miss the avalanche helps. (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews