Marta the orange cow marches to the beat of her own drum in this charming picture-book from Switzerland. While her bovine companions at Monsieur Greyere's farm dream of becoming train engineers, Marta herself dreams of riding a bicycle. Constructing one from parts she salvages at the dump, Marta slowly teaches herself to ride her new bike. A year passes, and Marta enters and wins the big race that inspired her to become a bicyclist in the first place. Her pleasure at winning is somewhat diminished when she discovers that all the cows at home have taken up the bicycle as well. After all, Marta likes being unique. Then a hot air balloon floats by...

Originally published in Switzerland as Marta et la bicyclette, this entertaining romp of a picture-book pairs an engaging tale of a bovine heroine determined to do her own thing, with humorously engaging illustrations that capture the madcap fun of Marta's journey. Germano Zullo and Albertine have collaborated on other books, and their text and artwork blend seamlessly together to tell the story. My favorite scenes, visually speaking, include the one involving the dream train, in which an airborne Marta clings to her longed-for bicycle, and the one in which Marta teaches herself, with much trouble, to ride. As for the story, I appreciated the message about following your passion, and enjoyed the ending, in which Marta appears poised to follow her own drummer again. ( )