‘Elena Rides’ is perfect for making early readers believe that they can!

Learning to do something new can be challenging. You may find that you have to try and fail, try and fail, and once again try and fail before you actually succeed at mastering a new skill. It’s frustrating and humbling, but so worth it. This is something that even adults have to be reminded of and definitely something that children need to be taught early on, which is why I love Elena Rides, the early reader illustrated book by award-winning author Juana Medina.

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Elena Rides is available in English and Spanish editions, as well as in a dual Spanish/English version that is perfect for bilingual children or families who want to raise bilingual children. The artwork is bright and eye-catching, the text is simple and engaging, and a book for children who are just learning to read about a persistent purple elephant and her supportive red feathered friend is a stroke of brilliance. Let me explain.

Why this is a perfect book for kids learning to read.

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Courtesy of Candlewick Press

The words on each page are few, but they manage to convey the struggle that Elena experiences while learning to ride a two-wheeler. Early readers can relate to Elena’s frustration because they are also at the age when kids are learning to ride a bike or want to learn to ride a bike.

Learning to read can also be a challenging experience.

Learning to read can be frustrating for beginning readers and they may want to give up at times, just like Elena does when falling off her bike. When you first introduce this book, you can read it to them while pointing out words they will begin to recognize, then little by little they will be reading it on their own.

It normalizes having to try over and over again.

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Elena Rides page

It’s so important for children to learn that they may not always be good at something right away. That they may fail time and time again before they succeed, but that with practice they can and will learn.

It’s also a good reminder for parents and guardians that frustration and tears are normal.

Sometimes, as adults, we forget that it’s perfectly all right for kids to have big feelings about things that we don’t think are a big deal. Just because something isn’t a big deal to us doesn’t mean it isn’t a huge deal to a child. Children should be allowed to have feelings and process them. This book reminds us to be like Elena’s red birdie friend: encouraging, patient, and supportive.

More about the author and where you can buy the book.

Elena Rides was written and illustrated by Juana Medina. It is also available in Spanish as Elena monta en bici and in a bilingual version: Elena Rides / Elena monta en bici: A Dual Edition. Juana was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. She is also the creator of the Juana & Lucas series and has won the Pura Belpré Award as well as two international Latino Book Awards.

You can find Elena Rides at retailers everywhere including Bookshop.org, Amazon, Target, and Barnes & Noble.