Pedal Power is a nonfiction picture book about the women and children who led the social movement that made Amsterdam the most bike-friendly city in the world! Cycling rules the road in Amsterdam today, but that wasn't always the case. In the 1970's, Amsterdam was so crowded with vehicles that bicyclists could hardly move, but moms and kids relied on their bicycles to get around the city. PEDAL POWER is the story of the people who led protests against the unsafe streets and took over a vehicles-only tunnel on their bikes, showing what a little pedal power could do! Author and illustrator Allan Drummond returns with the story of the people that paved the way for safe biking around the world. K-Gr 3—Veteran nonfiction children's author Drummond presents yet another engaging tale about community action leading to change. This title relates how Amsterdam became a world-renowned city of bicycles. Bicycles had always been abundant in the city because they were affordable. But in the 1970s, the economy grew and so did the number of motor vehicles on the roads, while bicycles rapidly became outnumbered. Some people started protesting, including Maartje Rutten. Then, in 1971, Dutch journalist Vic Langenhoff wrote an impassioned article about the more than 500 children who had died that year in traffic and bicycle accidents, including his own daughter. That article roused the entire country to the dangers of mixing bikes and motor vehicles without laws, and the need for regulations to protect cyclists. The persistence of Rutten, other avid cyclists, and community activists, as well as an oil and gas shortage, eventually encouraged political leaders to support city and community bicycle laws. The text is well written, engaging, and concise. Words are scattered throughout the illustrations, enhancing the visual experience. The bright cartoon-style ink and color washes, with flowing lines, create the impression of movement, which is well suited to the subject matter. Appended are an author's note, a bibliography of additional resources, a short pictorial list of famous cyclists, and a brief pictorial glossary of types of bicycles. VERDICT An intriguing nonfiction picture book to augment the community action section and for casual reading.—Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City Public Libraries, VA “Drummond, whose earlier environment-related picture books include Energy Island (2011) and Green City (2016), tells a true story that offers a bit of dramatic tension as well as broad relevance and child appeal. . .Illustrated with breezy, expressive drawings and colorful washes, the informative text flows well, narrating the story, explaining what made the roads bike-friendly, and briefly explaining how cycling benefits cities. A heartening picture book about bicycles, activism, and social change.” ― Booklist “The author surrounds this simply told story with endpapers showing bicycle efficiency, bicycle contributions to social progress, great cyclists, and great bikes of the world. He includes statistics about bike-share programs and reasons for using bicycles to get around. As he did in other tales of community transformation, he decorates his text with cheerful pen-and-ink sketches with watercolor wash. "― Kirkus Reviews “The text is well written, engaging, and concise . . . The bright cartoon-style ink and color washes, with flowing lines, create the impression of movement, which is well suited to the subject matter . . . An intriguing nonfiction picture book to augment the community action section and for casual reading.” ― School Library Journal “Dashed line and loosely brushed watercolor wash pictures have a light-hearted energy appropriate to a movement all about, well, movement.” ― The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books Allan Drummond is a former Chair of Illustration at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He is the creator of many picture books, including the widely acclaimed Green Power series. He studied at the Royal College of Art in London and currently lives in Suffolk, England.