I loved the lyrical but simple language, which was well-matched to the elegant and representational line drawings, filled with watercolor. This was a delightful celebration of the power and wonder of bikes and the independence they bring, whether they’re used to run errands, meet new friends, deliver packages (here, an elephant!), or fulfill dreams.

– Youth Services Book Review

The Massachusetts Review does not usually publish children’s literature. However, The New Bicycle by Darcy Day Zoells reminds us that we share a common humanity. This gentle and beautiful children’s book is not only for the young; it alights a smile in all. Like so many before, the child traveller does not cease from exploration. And at the end of all of her exploring, she returns home, and knows it anew. Is there a dream bigger than returning home? With a knowledge that we are also all the same? As the world splinters and divides, perhaps we need to remember what we share, and that beauty brings us closer to the just—whether it be encountering a flower, a late Beethoven quartet, a Raga Darbari, or a children’s book.

– Tanya Jayani Fernando, The Massachusetts Review

Young Mari has a new bike, and—clad in a bright red dress and bike helmet, with a pup in the front basket—she’s going for a spin. After her parents see her off, Mari’s adventures begin, riding from her neighborhood into increasingly fanciful settings. Passing a cluster of animals, she picks up an elephant carrying a festive balloon, who squishes into her back basket. The trio soon find not even the ocean can stop them, as “on her new bicycle, Mari could make her own way. New ways could lead to new friends” (a cheerful whale; kids on a passing ship) and new experiences (riding down a pyramid, with a sphinx nearby). Her bike also makes deliveries—first, the elephant to its savanna home, and, eventually, Mari herself, back down the sidewalk, where her beaming parents and neighbors await. Accompanying the succinct, straightforward text, lively cartoon illustrations further illuminate the story in intricate scenes full of warm hues and idiosyncratic background details. A delightful blend of whimsy and realism that captures the joy of new bikes, imagination—and where both can take you.

– Shelle Rosenfeld, Booklist

Mari’s new, bigger bicycle takes her on far-flung adventures and right back home again. Setting off on her new wheels, pup in tow, Mari pedals through her neighborhood, across a body of water, past a sphinx, and to the savanna. And, of course, her bicycle even brings her home. Readers ride along through Mari’s imagination. The big basket on the back of her bicycle picks up an elephant holding a balloon. She sails by a large ship and glides along the side of a pyramid. The text never directly discusses what readers see in the illustrations, even though they pair perfectly. With her new bike, “Mari could make discoveries and deliveries,” the text sitting neatly across an illustration of Mari’s elephant making its way out across the savanna. The images are compelling, with expert use of color and perspective. Mari dons her red outfit and shoes throughout, often standing out against more muted browns and greens. Her elephant companion is always grabbing readers’ attention: reaching for an almost-lost balloon or spraying water at a whale. Mari and her father have light brown skin; her mother is white. This is a lovely ode to the childhood magic of movement and freedom, an open road full of possibility and imagination. Beautiful illustrations pair perfectly with simple, succinct text.

– Kirkus Reviews