Bear can do everything—except ride a bike. Discover how he overcomes his two-wheeled challenge in this irresistibly adorable picture book! Bear can do almost anything. His one-paw pawstand is perfection. He can solve the trickiest of equations. He can even out-build a brigade of beavers. But the one thing Bear can’t do? Ride a bike. Bear tries everything to help him learn: library books, training wheels and super-cheers from his fellow animal friends. But all of those fail to get poor Bear on two wheels.The situation is looking un bear able—but an unexpected mishap might be just the thing that propels Bear to bike on! K-Gr 2—"Bear is no ordinary cub" begins this writerly story replete with puns, a sound narrative structure, and funny moments that will make kids cheer the protagonist along. His flaw is stage center: he can't ride a bike. He aces school, especially mathematics, has a helpful nature, and is a budding gymnast, but for him, biking is "unbearable." He questions whether it is a lack of intelligence, or a lack of confidence. His mother sends him to the library because you can "learn anything there," and he finds a how-to book. When a young goat is getting carried away by a fierce costal wind, Bear finds the opportunity to put all his knowledge of science, math, and gymnastics into one tour-de-force to save the kid in danger. There is a small-town sensibility here, yet with a background of historic buildings and the connotation of a city, there is depth to the sense of place. The palette is exquisite, with pale oranges and aqua blues, with added retro touches of background textures such as graph paper. The cartoon-style illustrations are gentle in nature and detailed enough to interest readers. VERDICT Fans of Kate DiCamillo will enjoy this book that encourages students to become well-rounded, and demonstrates how athletic, social, and academic skills can be applied in unexpected ways.—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City "This writerly story [is] replete with puns, a sound narrative structure, and funny moments that will make kids cheer the protagonist along... There is a small-town sensibility here, yet with a background of historic buildings and the connotation of a city, there is depth to the sense of place. The palette is exquisite... The cartoon-style illustrations are gentle in nature and detailed enough to interest readers... [This book] encourages students to become well-rounded, and demonstrates how athletic, social, and academic skills can be applied in unexpected ways." -School Library Journal "Bear can do anything he puts his mind to--except ride a bike. Bear is a whiz at facts and figures. He can do a backward pike somersault on the balance beam. But every time he tries to ride his bike, even with training wheels, he falls or crashes... Bear's supportive friends and family, along with Litten's warm-hued, cozy illustrations, drape the story in comfort, even during Bear's many tumbles and spills. This pivotal childhood milestone is often defined by fear, but this variant is for young brooders everywhere." -Kirkus Reviews Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Educators, When I wrote this book, I was told by an industry professional that the market didn't have enough room for another book about how to ride a bike for children. As you can see, my publisher didn't believe that was the case, and I felt that the world could always use another great book for kids about riding a bike. I shall never forget my own experiences learning how to ride a bike when I had the training wheels, the streamers, the basket, and a dad who had no issue seeing me crash over and over again (safely, of course). :)   To me, bike riding was a major milestone of fun and freedom, and I was desperate to ride, just like my friends could.  Riding a bike was so special to me that even as an adult, I find myself trying to stick bikes into my other books for children. I included a bike for my female protagonist Paris Pan in my middle grade novel The Dare . To me, a bicycle is more than just a thing you ride to get from point A to point B. A bicycle is every bit a part of learning how to push yourself to do something that can seem quite hard at first, but when you finally prevail, the sense of accomplishment is unmatched. Not only that, but now you have a personal vehicle of freedom! I hope your young readers enjoy the ride (and also learn a little about perseverance and achievement in the process).  All the bike-riding best to you! Cynthea Liu AUTHOR Cynthea Liu writes for young people of all ages, from the very little all the way to teens. For Disney and Marvel, her latest titles include chapter books for Disney and Marvel for feature films like ELEMENTAL, TURNING RED and SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS. She has also written picture books, Little Golden Books, picture story books, and photo books for both companies for these films and other Disney/Marvel pro