Review: If I Find My Bike by Narges Mirfeyzi

Palestine has been in the news a lot recently. We all know what's happening. But how much do we understand? How much do our children see?

In Narges Mirfeyzi's If I Find My Bike (2024), a young Palestinian boy years for his bike—his grandpa's racing bike that he's never even seen—lost on the other side of the never-ending wall that divides the land. He imagines where he will fly once he finds it again. His dreams are shadowed by the stark reality of his life: barbed wire, power cutoffs, bombs, and full hospitals. But he continues to dream big. His objective? Delivering his mother's delicious zaatar bread around the world, generating electricity with his bike as he travels to bring power to local stores and hospitals, and connecting with an international community of bread-lovers.

Although this book doesn't shy away from the gravity of the situation in Palestine, especially in the beautiful illustrations by Azam Vazehimoghadam, it's told with the hope of a young boy who believes that one day, when they find their bikes, they'll pedal back home. Vazehimoghadam's attention to detail offers readers a careful glimpse of the barbed wire-topped walls, tents, war planes, raining bombs, armed soldiers, and darkness. But at the same time, the protagonist brings light (and zaatar bread!) wherever he goes, highlighting Palestinian foods, landscapes, and community, with kites bearing the Palestinian flag throughout. Even the smallest details hold significance, right down to the keys around many women's necks, remnants of the homes they lost.

This touching book is inspired by a real attack on Gaza hospitals, during which children attempted to generate electricity using bicycles to save lives. Yes, it's a serious topic. But it's also a necessary one, even for children… Especially for children, who are the ones bringing joy, hope, colour, and light to every page.

If I Find My Bike was selected for the MBBY Honour List 2025/2026 and shortlisted for the Palestine Book Awards (UK). It's available in English, Arabic, Turkish, Bosnian, Persian, Spanish, and Malay. Shop for the English version here.