Vera Rides a Bike

My 4 and 6 year old have been listening to "Vera Books" for a couple of years now. There are 8 in total, this one being of the best. It's all about a girl (about 6, not too "girly") who learns how to ride a bike, mostly on her own, takes the bike to the park on her own and forgets how to use the brakes. Happy ending so no worries there. My only complaint is that some of the words need to be changed. There is her "friend" at the park who says "I bet you can't ride your bike..." that I changed to "I bet you CAN ride that bike....". The kids never noticed since it was before they could read, and I didn't need the negative energy that is so common in children's books infulltrating into this much loved book. A few of her other books, like "Vera Runs Away" and "Vera's Baby Sister" have quite a bit more negative talk that needs to be changed if you want to make it a positive book. Get your kids hooked on Vera, you can't go wrong!

Vera is a little girl who loves her little red tricycle. One day while at the park someone steals her trike. Vera is really sad. Her dad decides to give her an early birthday gift and fixes up Vera's sister's old bike. Vere is proud and determined to learn to ride it! She doesn't give up and finally is an expert bike rider! What did you like or not like about the book? The pictures were fun to look at. The story moved at a fast pace as well. Would you recommend this book? Why or Why not? This is a good story to use to bring up lots of good discussions. Topics could include courage, bike safety, and how it feels to lose something important to you.

I liked this book, but more importantly, my 4 year old son liked it enough to hear it again and again. It has a simple story, with pictures that coincide: Vera first looses her tricycle in the park, then receives a bicycle that she learns to ride. One night everyone is busy and she goes off by herself to ride. With the help of a boy she knows, she gets on and rides around the school. When she is ready to get off, she looks for help from the same boy but he has gone home. She continues to ride around and around until she finds the resolve to try stopping. It sounds dry, but it is captivating to the preschool set. It's also a great story to use for discussion: safety issues, courage, emotions at loosing her tricycle, having to ride alone, etc. And the final great thing about it: she ends up in bed asleep on the last page- the perfect betime story ending!