Training Wheels — Kathryn Cristaldi

In this humorous Level 3 Hello Reader!, Alvin tries to learn to ride a bike without training wheels--but his escalating fears and active imagination almost get the best of him!

On Monday, Alvin's dad removes the training wheels from Alvin's bike. But Alvin imagines crashing and landing in the hospital. So he makes up an excuse and doesn't ride. His imagination leads to more elaborate excuses the rest of the week. "Nobody likes a quitter," his dad constantly reminds him. But on Friday while Alvin daydreams at home about an upcoming circus visit, his baby brother wanders off--straight into the path of a lumbering circus elephant! Unseen by anyone, Alvin hops on his two-wheeler without a second thought and rescues little Spike. A funny easy-to-read story.