My kids know that sometimes their mama cries while reading. Ok, so it happens fairly often. But I’m not sure I’ve ever cried reading a wordless book before.
Until today.
The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett is a beautiful story of longing and friendship told entirely in pictures.
A girl and her little brother pass a beautiful green bicycle in a store window. She immediately runs home to count her money, but even after looking for spare change in the couch, she falls short. After a failed lemonade stand and yard sale, she looks for other ways to earn money. Finally, she finds an older lady to rake leaves for. She continues to help with various chores through different seasons, and a friendship develops. (Yes, all this really is told in pictures!)
I won’t tell you the ending, but there is a double sweetness to it. The girl has found what she didn’t even know she needed: a friend.
The Girl and the Bicycle is a new favorite around here, and I can’t wait to check out more of Mark Pett’s books!
What wordless book has moved you deeply?
Carolyn Leiloglou is the award-winning author of the middle grade fantasy trilogy The Restorationists. She is the granddaughter of art collectors, daughter of an art teacher, and homeschooling mom to four wildly creative kids, two now graduated. She’s been reviewing her favorite children’s books on House full of Bookworms for over a decade. Carolyn and her husband Demetrios make their home in San Antonio, Texas, and you can find her everywhere online as House full of Bookworms.
The Girl and the Bicycle sounds lovely, and I adore the soft illustrations. Will definitely be checking it out. Hopefully the librarians won’t mind just one more book to add to my stack of holds on the shelf. 🙂
Two of our favorites were The Snowman, by Raymond Briggs (along with the short animated version of the late 80s/early 90s, also wordless except for one beautiful song) and A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog, by Mercer Mayer.
Ooo, I think I’ve seen the animated short of The Snowman, but I didn’t realize it was a book. I’ll have to check that out. Thanks! 🙂