Two Bicycles in Beijing

by Teresa Robeson, Junyi Wu (Illustrator)

Overview

Cycle through the sights of Beijing with Lunzi as she searches for her best friend.

One, two; yi, er. Side by side, two bicycles, Lunzi and Huangche, come out of the factory. Side by side, they watch the city of Beijing from their shop window. Then a young girl comes in and buys Huangche, rolling him away from Lunzi! With the help of a delivery boy, Lunzi begins an epic race to find her friend that introduces readers to all the sights and sounds of Beijing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807507643
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Teresa Robeson was born in Hong Kong, raised in Canada, and now writes and creates from her mini-homestead in southern Indiana where she lives with her scientist husband. A nonfiction winner of the We Need Diverse Books Mentorship Program, Teresa advocates for greater scientific and cultural literacy. 

Junyi Wu is a freelance illustrator and designer and a graduate of ArtCenter College of Design. Her passions include pies, puns, and puzzles. She is based in Orange County, California. 

Editorial Reviews

"Robeson's spare text is poetic, while Wu's hazy illustrations lend a reminiscent feel. Young readers are given the opportunity to learn a few Chinese words sprinkled throughout the text. Even better, they can indulge in warm feelings of friendship and how wonderful it is to be two."—Booklist

From the Publisher

"Robeson's spare text is poetic, while Wu's hazy illustrations lend a reminiscent feel. Young readers are given the opportunity to learn a few Chinese words sprinkled throughout the text. Even better, they can indulge in warm feelings of friendship and how wonderful it is to be two."—Booklist

Booklist

2020-01-21
Lunzi the red bicycle races past the sights and sounds of Beijing in search of her friend Huangche, a yellow bicycle.

When Lunzi and Huangche leave the bicycle factory, they sit in a shop window watching the city and its people go by. “They wished they could stay this way forever. But one day,” a young girl comes in and buys Huangche. Soon after, a messenger boy enters the shop and picks Lunzi. The boy hops on and together they weave through narrow alleys called hutongs and race along main streets. They zip by Nanguan Park and the National Art Museum, and they fly by Tiananmen Square. Here and there Lunzi spots a flash of yellow. Is it Huangche? Sadly, no. It’s just a golden kite tail or a patch of chrysanthemums. At the end of the day, the boy stops to buy dinner. As Lunzi leans “against the brick wall with a sigh,” she spots a whoosh of yellow and fills with hope. Robeson introduces readers to basic Mandarin (in romanized pinyin) with the simple refrain “one, two; yi, er” and words like “jie” and “bao.” However, the uneven text—at times lyrical, at times faltering—fails to evoke either Lunzi’s anxiety to find her friend or the buzz and bustle of big city Beijing. Furthermore, Wu’s muted pencil illustrations, while detailed with people and fanciful architecture, don’t pop on the page.

Exploring Beijing from a bicycle’s point of view: a unique concept that doesn’t live up to its potential. (glossary, backmatter) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews