The Little School Bus

Reviews

Through a simple rhyming text, a little school bus details a typical day of work, beginning with driver Bob climbing on board with a cup of coffee at 5:00 a.m. and ending with a tune-up and scrub down at the maintenance garage. In between, it drives through town, "bouncing, turning, thumping,/always on the go," to pick up a variety of smiling children, including Kate, who uses a wheelchair. The text lends itself well to reading aloud, and the blocky digital illustrations are bright and clear. This book will be a big hit with vehicle-loving preschoolers and is also an excellent selection to use with groups preparing to start kindergarten. A must-have for general purchase, especially in collections in which Cuyler's The Little Dump Truck (Holt, 2009) is already a favorite. – School Library Journal
 

The team behind The Little Dump Truck present this relentlessly cheery offering and an anthropomorphized school bus. – Booklist

 

Rhyming verses stretch out the job of a school bus to 12 spreads. Driving down the road, picking up kids and dropping them off, visiting the mechanic, operating the wheelchair platform and going around a bend are a few of the things the yellow vehicle does in the job it so obviously loves, as evidenced by its smiling bumper, cheerful eyes and pink cheeks—all vehicle parts. Each verse starts with "I'm a little school bus," so readers (especially those reading aloud) will be hard-pressed not to try to force the rhymes into the tune for "I'm a Little Teapot." . . . Kolar's digital illustrations are cartoon-bright, the people are nicely diverse, and there's not a grumpy face to be found. . . .Cute . . . Will help to complete vehicler lovers' collections. – Kirkus Reviews
 

Such a friendly little school bus and it lives such a busy life! The little school bus trusts its friend, Bob the driver, and the two are careful to keep children safe and happy. Bob and his bus smile as they go about their work. Action verbs such as bouncing, clunking, and rumbling describe the fun of riding a school bus. The illustrations are cheerful, vivid, and reflect a contemporary America. Excited children of many racial backgrounds carry brown bag lunches, backpacks, purses, while others roll the wheels on their wheelchairs as the artist celebrates the diversity and inclusivity of this country. The little school bus is as well cared for as the children it carries. When the weather is too bad, Bob and the little school bus stay home; and when the little school bus needs a tune up, people take care of its needs in its own ‘yard.’ Preschool children will be eager to ride a little school bus after they are introduced to this picture book. – Children’s Literature