Being an avid cyclist myself and someone who’s heard too many times that girls can’t do certain things, I loved Bessie Stringfield’s story! The illustrations were adorable and the fact that you’re learning about a real trailblazer makes this a great one for story time. Bessie is a great role model in overcoming your haters, the doubt, societal expectations and in just being true to yourself.
Added bonus, it’s a kids book that Features diversity, something the industry needs more of!

A fascinating story about the childhood of Bessie Stringfield. Bessie was the first African-American woman to ride across the United States on her own. She was also a civilian motorcycle dispatch riders for the US Army during World War II.

This is a great book that shows they reader they can do anything they put their mind too and should not listen when people tell them they are not good enough to do something. This book is a wonderful mix and comics and words. Bessie Stringfield was a woman who broke boundaries and was fast - an inspiring role model for future bike riders and motorcycle dispatchers. This book is good for children up to at least age 12.

This is a charming fictional graphic tale followed by a factual biography of someone who deserves more recognition. Joel Christian Gill uses the medium of comics to illustrate the powerful message of never accepting that you are not ‘__’ enough. Fill in those blanks with anything – good, fast, pretty, smart, brave, and so on; and remember that you are always more than ‘__’ enough.

In the story, Bessie was told she was not fast enough to ride bikes with boys, but boy, did she prove them wrong! Not only was she fast enough, she was faster. She grew up to become a pioneer who paved the way for future African American (women) bikers.

While the brief bio at the end mentions that there are contradicting stories of Bessie’s life, one thing remains true – Bessie was an amazing woman. She was a daredevil, an inspiration, ‘The Motorcycle Queen’ who paved paths where there were none before.

Rating: 4.5/5
Reading Level:4 – 8
Reread Level: 3.5/5

In Summary:
This book takes the reader from ‘Am Not Enough’ and ‘I Can’t’ to ‘Am Better than Good Enough’ and ‘Yes, I Can’!
While the book is aimed at kids 4 to 8 years of age, the illustrations in the fictional comic will appeal to the younger audiences and the short factual biography can be used to introduce Bessie to older kids (9-12 years).

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the above book. The opinions expressed are my own.

This is a wonderful tale of a young Bessie Stringfield who is determined to be the best regardless of all the obstacles and challenges that life puts in her way. It is also a good reminder that what we learn in childhood impacts and shapes us as adults. Although this is an imagined episode in her young life, the real Bessie was the first woman to ride across America on a motorbike and was also of colour which means she had to fight prejudice and sexism. This makes this all the more believable and young Bessie an amazing role model for any child who struggles with resilience.

The book is beautifully illustrated and not fussy helping you to focus on the message of the story. It is easy to access for both young and old.

More stories like this need to be shared to inspire us all.

I was given the novel free by netgalley.com and Lionforge for my fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for my advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Author Joel Christian Gill has taken us on a journey. He introduced us to Bessie Stringfield. Prior to reading this book I had no idea who she was. It was truly a delight to experience history through a positive looking glass.

The artwork in this book is stupendous. The bright colors assisted in bringing this story to life.

This book is a wonderful tool for education, or anyone that has a thirst for knowledge.

'Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield's First Ride' by Joel Christian Gill is a storybook about someone who should be a lot more well known, and Joel Christian Gill is trying to do just that.

I was introduced to the graphic novels of Joel Christinan Gill a few months back with his Talented Tenth and Strange Fruit series of graphic novels where he tells the story of uncelebrated narratives from black history.

Here he adapts the story of Bessie Stringfield to be read to younger children. Young Bessie is told she is not fast enough. Rather than take that, she decides to become faster. Bessie went on to ride a motorcyle (and other vehicles) across the country.

I love the mission that Joel Christian Gill is on, and I really loved the illustrations in this book. Little Bessie with her defiant eyes and enormous hair is completely adorable, and someone you know will go on to do great things. I'm so glad I've found this author and learned about some amazing people.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

DISCLAIMER: an Arc is provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

TRIGGER WARNING: This book is like an autobiography of Bessie Stringfield retold by Joel Christian Gill

It is definitely a very empowering story especially for the children wrapped in very beautiful illustration.

Full review : https://literatureisliving.wordpress.com/?p=907

Joel Christian Gill makes the story of female African American motorcyclist, Bessie Springfield accessible to children. Similar to Mae Among the Stars, Fast Enough gives hope to girls and minorities that they can accomplish whatever they dream. The author's factual and text heavy endpages provide more meat to the story and explain that sometimes stories are all we have. It's up to the human curiosity and research to always seek and search truth.

“Fast Enough” is the story of young Bessie Stringfield. As a child, she wanted to ride her bike with the boys, but she was told she was not fast enough. One night, she dreamt she raced all over the world on her bike, and that gave her the confidence to challenge the boys to a race.

This is a great book for kids. It tells the story of a young woman of color, yet the story is one which many of us can relate to – being told we are not enough. Her story is inspirational because it is about overcoming obstacles and doubts. The artwork and colors are beautiful. And I really enjoyed reading a short biography about Bessie Stringfield in the back of the book. Kids need more heroes to look up to, and this book is about an inspirational woman.

The illustrations in this book were simple but wonderful. Very interesting story. I wish they could have included more of the story in the illustrated version. The final paragraphs in the biography section highlighted a much richer Bessie.

This book is an excellent choice for younger children learning about biographies, Black history, or women who struggled and succeeded. The story is divided into two parts, the first telling an exciting younger grade level story of a racer and the second giving biographical data that presents two different stories of the same person. I found that to be an interesting and informative twist, and I know my K-6 students will have many discussions about how to decide which story is true!

Interesting story, great book to share during Black History Month and throughout the year.

The cover of Fast Enough Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride by Joel Christian Gill caught my attention with its vibrant colors. I was happy to see the vibrant colors continued throughout the story about this amazing woman. I found the book served as both a picture book for younger children and a short bio of Bessie Stringfield that older children and parents alike could enjoy.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

Bessie Stringfield sounds like she was an interesting character. Unfortunately, I didn't really get that from this book, except in the author's note; those five pages are really the only thing worth reading here.

The rest of the book is an insipid little story about a fictionalized young Bessie who wants to ride her bike with the boys. They say she can't because she's not fast enough. So she prays to God to ask Him if she really is fast enough. Then she rides faster than the boys, discovers there's such a thing as motorcycles, and realizes she could go even faster. And that's all there is to the actual narrative.

The illustrations are really uneven. Some of them are cute, but some of them almost look like they were done by a different artist. The way Bessie is drawn isn't super consistent; at times, especially when the viewer is far away, she loses all detail... which is a weird contrast with the closeups where there's almost too much detail at times. I also question why Bessie was riding a boys' bike that lacked a step-through frame; it's possible that she got the bike secondhand, but it was never explained, and it would've been unusual (and unsightly) for a girl of that time to ride a bike that couldn't accommodate a skirt.

I think I got more out of the notes at the end (and a subsequent reading of the Wikipedia page on Bessie) than I did out of the actual story. It's pretty weak. It's too bad, because if the focus of this book had been different (perhaps concentrating on her work for the military during World War II or her stints as a carnival performer), it could've been a really interesting biographical picture book. As it is, though, it falls short.

Fast Enough: Bessie Stringfield’s First Ride is a children’s fiction book written and illustrated by Joel Christian Gill.

Summary: Bessie has been told she is not good enough. She is not pretty enough. She is not tough enough. And she’s definitely not fast enough.

But Bessie doesn’t let that stop her-and she proves she is fast enough after all.

My Thoughts: I thought this was a wonderful story. The theme is one of determination and persevering-no matter what others say about you. This is a message that every child (and most adults) need to hear.

I truly loved the beautiful illustrations-rich colors, and tons of details that just beg you to look deeper and soak in the scenery.

I also enjoyed the imagined history of what Bessie Stringfield’s childhood could have been like, and all of the historical notes of what she accomplished when she became an adult-so fascinating.

This is the kind of book to have laying around your house for the kids to pick up, or to read to them at bedtime to instill into them that they CAN, and that they ARE better than good enough.

One caveat-the book is listed for ages 4-8, but it could easily have been listed for ages 3-12. The illustrations will draw in the youngest of kids, and the history will be interesting for the older kids as well.

I would like to thank Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review-thank you!

My favourite page of Fast Enough, an imagined account of real-life figure Bessie Springfield’s early interest in cycling and going fast, shows young Bessie Stringfield wearing a cycling helmet and a long, dark dress with yellow stars on it as she bicycles in the night sky in her dreams.

This picture book with its vibrant illustrations is the first book by Joel Christian Gill that I’ve read and led to me look him up and add his series of graphic novels highlighting historical African-Americans to my to-read list. The story of Bessie Springfield will also be of interest to anyone who likes to learn about remarkable women in history, and I appreciated the inclusion in Fast Enough of a few back matter paragraphs about the adventuresome motorcyclist.

#blackhistorymonth #bhm #fastenough #netgalley

A fictional imagination of the childhood of Bessie Stringfield wherein she races along with the boys to prove that she is fast enough. Interesting pictures.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

What a wonderful tale. Before I read this book I knew of Bessie Stringfield, but nothing about her. This book reads both as a great “girl power” bedtime story and a fabulous beginners biography. The true story at the end is just as entertaining as the fictionalized version. Plus the illustrations are amazing. Vibrant and full of life.

It is a good book for younger readers. Nice to see strong women featured in stories about being courageous and not giving up.

This story is about Bessie Stringfield, the first African American woman to travel solo across the United States on a motorcycle in the first half of the 20th century.

For me this book is just ok. I loved some of the pages that have really beautiful illustrations. Other pages, though, left me a bit cold with illustrations that are much busier or not consistent with the time period. I also wish the story was a bit more fluid. I ended up feeling like I'd read two separate books when I was done instead of one story.

That said, I think that this will probably be a hit with a wide range of kids. There's sort of something for everyone here, and the added biography pages at the back of the book make for a deeper telling of the story.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Book Distributors for providing me with a DRC of this book.

A fun picture book about a young girl who is spurred to follow her dreams after praying "to the Man Upstairs." I liked that the boys in the end accept her; I like the back matter about the real Bessie Stringfield that points out that this is fiction. I do wish there had been some sources listed for people who want to know more. There's a lot to talk about here, as well as just a fun story. Review based on an ARC from NetGalley.