Spare first-person text describes Alfonsina Strada's early childhood explorations with a bicycle and lightly sketches her groundbreaking career as a female cyclist in early-twentieth-century Italy. Creating chaos wherever she cycled, and at first dressing as a boy, Strada soon throws off her trousers, hat, and suspenders -- shown in a striking double-page spread -- to openly ride as a girl. Townspeople react with shock, leaping out of the way as she barrels, carefree, through crowds. The text is extremely brief, providing more of a peek into an intriguing life than actual biographical information. Major life events, including the notable fact that she was the only woman to have ridden one of cycling's three major stage races, are not included in the text (end matter would have been welcome for readers wanting to learn more about a fascinating character, but no additional information is provided). The illustrations, in a limited palette of bold oranges, yellows, blues, and greens, echo the style of the screen-printed flyers for cycling races that appear in the background through the book. Animals in the illustrations seem fascinated by Strada, their gaze emphasizing her wildness as she describes how riding and racing allow her to be free. A compelling, if incomplete, introduction to a little-known pioneer in women's sports. Laura Koenig

Dedicated in part to "every woman who refuses to yield," this Portuguese import (via Germany) depicts the childhood and rise to fame of pioneering cyclist Alfonsina Strada.Front endpapers introduce the town in which Alfonsina lives in what appears to be the late-19th or early-20th century (no dates are provided, but wagons make an appearance), with peasants and a general with an "imperial mustache." Cycling posters are in Italian, placing the story in Europe. Alfonsina's father trades a basket of chickens for a large bike. It's too big for his daughter, and children in town taunt her (one even mooning her) and call her "tomboy" for riding it. She dons men's clothing and eventually masters the bike, winning her first race at 13. "Faster than the wind" and in appropriate riding gear as an adult, she races in cities across Europe, earning the name "the Pedal Queen." The posterlike illustrations have an almost constructivist look in spots and feature a limited palette of only five colors, including a nearly fluorescent yellow. Townspeople in the distance, primarily depicted in the book's copper shade, are often depicted with no facial features, the focus being on the small girl on the oversized bike, learning to master it but often wreaking havoc in crowds. The absence of any backmatter leaves readers wondering precisely how Strada was so groundbreaking and will have curious children seeking additional information about the Italian cyclist elsewhere.An incomplete introduction to a trailblazing athlete. (Informational picture book. 5-10)