  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 03/15/2015 On the title page, a dozen children stand in a row, ready to demonstrate a bevy of transportation modes. The first few down-to-earth riders go by bike, car, and train, while later ones take imaginative journeys on a fish, a cloud, and a kite. In the end, though, all 12 contented-looking children ride along together in (and on top of) a snug, little double-decker bus, while the text concludes “the bus is / the best— / the best is / the bus. / That’s because . . . / the bus / is for US!” The rhythmic verses’ momentum keeps the pages turning at a good clip, but many kids will want to go back and pore over the satisfying illustrations, matching up individual children and the items they carry with their related adventures (the girl eating cotton candy later imagines herself sitting on a cloud). Nicely varied, the verse is well attuned to preschoolers’ interests, while Tyler’s large-scale, sweeping scenes offer details for kids to discover and enjoy. An enjoyable journey for the younger set. - Copyright 2015 Booklist. School Library Journal - 04/01/2015 Toddler-K—In this spare, rhyming text, many children present favorite forms of transportation from the traditional to fantastical—but nothing can top their bus! The opening endpapers show a cheerful, empty double-decker bus approaching in a sunny, colorful landscape, while the back endpapers show the bus full of kids headed off into the moonlit night. The inside is divided into four sections, each of which culminates in a celebratory chant as the bus stops to pick up the children from the previous pages: "But the best is the bus. The bus is for us." The first section singles out everyday forms of transport: "I really like to ride my bike… When it starts to rain/I like the train." As the book goes along the featured rides get more imaginative: "Fly to the moon/in a hot-air balloon. Or, for a dare,/ride on a bear." The watercolor illustrations, done in pastel colors with round lines and swirly, dreamlike backgrounds, keep the scenes soft and inviting. VERDICT This gentle but spirited ride is designed to please even the youngest listeners.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MA - Copyright 2015 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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