posted on 13 Aug 2023

Two Wheels by David Gibb, illustrated by Brizida Magro

Two Wheels is the second children’s picture book from songwriter and musician, David Gibb and it’s a charming and gentle story with a message that you might summarise as ‘the family that bikes together, stays together’.

A young boy lives in a household that’s bicycle mad – mom and older brother and, especially, dad who has every kind of bike you can imagine. But the little boy who tells his story is just too young to have his own two wheels and has to start by riding his brother’s old tricycle around the garden paths. All he can do is watch enviously as his older brother and his friends ride around the local streets on their bikes and sometimes helps his dad repair any that get broken.

Then one day his dad brings in a two-wheel bike - but it’s a bike with a difference: it has no pedals! It’s a balance bike that will help the boy make the transition from three wheels to two but safely. And this is all ok but not a patch on the next bike that appears – a genuine two wheels with pedals and a small extra addition – stabiliser wheels.

And although the boy is now allowed to ride his new bike in the streets, he’s still a bit embarrassed that he has stabiliser wheels and doesn’t want his brother and friends to see that he can’t really ride a two-wheeler. But, of course, it’s only a matter of time before his dad decides he’s ready to take off the stabilisers and the boy can fly along on his own two wheels at last.

It's a simple story that younger children will recognise and enjoy but it’s given an extra dimension by the generous illustrations that spread over double spread pages of this larger format book. The artist is Brizida Magro who spent her childhood in Portugal but now lives in Boulder, Colorado and on her own website says that her work “blends together the innocence of childrens’ art, the naivete of folk art, and frolicking adventures through the great outdoors.”

Of course, you don’t have to be a great cycling fan to enjoy this story of child and father bonding over a burning interest and sharing time together. It’s also a lesson about trust and how to come to terms with taking your time to master new skills.

The book, from Walker Books, is available this month and you will be able to get a copy from your local independent bookshop – who will be happy to order it for you if they don’t have a copy on the shelf.

 

Terry Potter

August 2023