Lately I’ve been reading Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels by Hannah Ross, which is not a kids’ book, but it is a book about exploration, pushing limits and learning new things.
As I’ve been reading it and learning how cycling opened the world for women and gave them the ability to try new things, I’ve been thinking about children’s books that can encourage the same level of bravery and curiosity in my kids.
The first book is Ride Beside Me by Lucy Knisley. This book is a celebration of cycling. It highlights the community that is formed between cyclists of different ages and abilities as they commute day-in and day-out, and while they participate in city-wide cycling events. The story also showcases different styles of bicycles, from racers to adult tricycles. So, if you are hoping to get out on a bike more but your child is a bit nervous about it, maybe this book will help them see how much fun it can be. For ages 3 to 6.
If cycling isn’t your thing, but you’re trying to convince your children to go on a road trip this summer, you might consider getting them Summer of Rocks by Jenna Greene. Fair warning, this story, which is about a family with three daughters who go on a road trip through Western Canada to look at potential sites for mines, made me cry. My son did not have the same reaction, so maybe it’s a mother thing, but there is an off-page death in this book to a side character and that death impacts the six-year-old sister. Nonetheless, my son read it in one day and he liked how each chapter was written in a different sister’s perspective. Ages 9 to 12.
The next book also starts with a road trip, but it ends with a walk. In Huxley’s Island Adventure by Haley Healey and illustrated by Kimiko Fraser, a cat named Huxley gets lost after chasing a mouse from his campsite into the forest. This story is a modern, Canadian version of Homeward Bound, and I love it. Healey weaves in all different types of flora and fauna throughout Huxley’s journey home. And Fraser’s illustrations make you feel like you are there and that you could walk across Huxley’s island and see all the same things that he saw. For ages 4 to 7.
Perhaps you and your family would like to travel further than you can get on your own two feet (or paws), and you are considering taking a plane to explore the world. If that’s the case, and you want to see some incredible pictures of places you might go, I recommend Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Field Mouse Around the World written and illustrated by Torben Kuhlmann and translated from German by David Henry Wilson. This book, which is inspired by Amelia Earhart’s ‘round the world flight, follows a young maker mouse, who discovers airplanes and sets off on her own world trip. The images are stunning. You and your children could stare at them for hours and still see something new. Plus, if your children are curious to learn more about Earhart, the book has several fact sheets at the end. For ages 8 to 12.
This last book isn’t about an adventure, but it belongs with the others because it will help your children learn more about the world around them. Genius Eyes, which is written by Lena Anlauf, illustrated by Vitali Konstantinov and translated from German by Marshall Yarbrough, is a non-fiction book about animal eyes. It explains the reason why some animals have fake eyes and why other animals have really big eyes. If your child has ever wondered how creatures use eyes to communicate, this book is for them. For ages 6 to 10.
I love reading, and I love sharing new books with you. But I also love being outside and exploring the world around me on my bicycle or on my feet. I hope that these books kindle a similar love in you so that you can explore your neighbourhoods and communities with a newfound appreciation and wonder as you are able to name local plants and explain why different animals look the way they do.
