The Little School Bus

by Margery Cuyler, Bob Kolar (Illustrator)

Join Driver Bob the school bus driver and his little school bus as they wake early, pick up the children, and drop them off at school. Then it’s off to the garage to fix a tail light. All in a day’s work for this trusty team. The lyrical text, catchy rhyme, and bright pictures make this a perfect choice for preschoolers who are soon to be school bus riders!

Genres: Picture Books, School, Transport, Childrens, Storytime, Back To School, Buses

Paperback

First published June 24, 2014

About the author

Margery Cuyler is the author of many books for children, including From Here to There, The Little Dump Truck, and That’s Good! That’s Bad! The idea for That’s Good! That’s Bad! was inspired by a conversation with her son, Thomas, who asked, "Can't bad things change into good things?" Ms. Cuyler grew up in the oldest house in Princeton, NJ, and started writing stories as soon as she learned how to write. She now lives in the same house with her husband, sons and two cats.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/marger...

Reviews

[Annie]

Simple rhyming text. I kept trying to sing this to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" and it doesn't work. So don't do that.

[Baby Bookworm]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is The Little School Bus, written by Margery Cuyler and illustrated by Bob Kolar, a cheerful look at the life of a school bus.

In bouncy rhyming text, the reader is introduced to the titular school bus and its driver, Bob. Early morning, the pair wake up and – after Bob’s coffee – head out to pick up kids for school. Rain or shine or snow, the school bus and Bob drive across towns, around bends, and through neighborhoods. Sometimes, Bob takes Bus to the mechanic for a tune-up: dents get fixed, squeaky hinges oiled. Then back to work, Bus’s favorite thing to do. At the end of the day, after safely getting the children to and from school, Bob and Bus head home to rest for the next day.

Very cute! Bright and jolly rhymes paired with adorable yet simple illustrations make for an easy and quick read. The layout of the rhymes is a bit confusing, as each page starts with “I’m a little school bus” which would lead me to believe that the rhymes should be read to the rhythm/tune of “I’m A Little Teapot”. This has pretty mixed results though, and I found it much easier to read aloud amelodically. Still, there’s a nice look at some of the duties of a school bus, and some wonderful and unexpected diversity: the characters are a rainbow of skintones, and there is a page and rhyme dedicated to wheelchair accessibility. The length was fine, and JJ really enjoyed the adventures of Bob and Bus. Delightfully uncomplicated yet absolutely entertaining for early readers, and we loved it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Erin]

My kids love anything about a school bus

[Villain E]

A summary of a day of a school bus told in rhyme. I appreciate that, even though the bus is anthropomorphized, there's an acknowledgement of the driver and there's also a bit about maintenance.

[Courtney]

rather than a review here's some tags that I might find useful in the future:
snow day/winter weather
mechanic
lining up
expectations for being on a bus

I like that it had disability representation, as it mentioned the elevator/platform for the wheelchair user.

[Nanci Booher]

This is a book that I actually saw on the shelf before I saw it on Goodreads and I'm glad I did. I read this book with my "working with children in all capacities" hat on. It's rhyming (love that), it will work for storytime (love that too) and it was super cute...need I say more?

[Rachel]

Typical rhyme and bold illustrations will appeal to kids

[Elisabeth]

I like this series of books, but am I supposed to read them to the tune of "I'm a little teapot?" 'cause I do and it doesn't really work. :)

[John]

I like this book because there's a whole series of these, The Little Fire Truck, The Little Dump Truck (which I own), and The Little Ice Cream Truck, and there's also "I'm a Little School Bus": it was a favorite of mine because I was gonna go to school soon.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

The Little School Bus by Margery Cuyler illustrated by Bob Kolar, BOARD BOOK Henry Holt (MacMillan). 2014 (Board Book edition 2018). $8.

BUYING ADVISORY: PRE-K - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Read about Driver Bob and his School bus doing their job. Picking up kids, keeping them safe, driving through town, they are even ADA compliant! This is a happy little school bus!

Large, bold illustrations with other things happening on the pages too, so there are fun things to point at. Rhyming text helps the early reader, or the non reader to learn the story.

Lisa Librarian

[Becky]

Not anything exciting, but it covers the life of a school bus. Rhyming text has a good rhythm, I like the inclusion of the student in a wheelchair and the snow day. Doesn't really offer a learning experience (nor is that its purpose) about riding the bus, but it's a good picture book option for a kiddo in need of a story of this new adventure in their life.

A decent addition to public library shelves for the start of the school year rush... if your budget allows.

[Lisa]

Read about Driver Bob and his School bus doing their job. Picking up kids, keeping them safe, driving through town, they are even ADA compliant! This is a happy little school bus!

Large, bold illustrations with other things happening on the pages too, so there are fun things to point at. Rhyming text helps the early reader, or the non reader to learn the story.

Cross-posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com CHECK IT OUT!

[Sharon]

I also shared this one at story time this fine morning; I believe this was a first reading of this title as well.

I really enjoyed reading it; it is totally cute and filled with personality. The sight of an illustration of a smiling bus created shouts of glee from my listeners. I will certainly pick this one up again.

[Benjamin]

A school bus kid's story; there's not much going on here for the parent. It's short, which is nice on those nights when you're just ready for them to get to bed.

my favorite quote: "I'm a little school bus heading for my spot. Slowing, braking, idling in the parking lot."

[Rosa Cline]

This book is nice for beginning readers as the text is pretty simple with repeating phrases per page, illustrations are simple but eye appeasing so those that can't read will still find it interesting as well. My special needs adult son smiled and enjoyed me reading this out loud to him.

[Stephanie Rossman]

My girls both love the rhymes in this story. For awhile, my daughter was obsessed with school busses and this book was her favorite! I also enjoyed the different daily scenarios for the school bus and Driver Bob!

[Nickel Pickle]

I like this book! I like the part where the kids are going into the bus and I like the pictures of kids at the front and back. I also like when the school bus drives. I just started school yesterday and even though I don't go there on a bus, school buses are my favorite thing right now.

[Emily Griswold Bunty]

A fun little book with bright illustrations. The words rhyme well and each page covers a different aspect of a school bus’s life, including snow days, tune-ups and repairs, and its faithful driver Bob.

[Kelly]

This is a board book, and it is very fun. Bold illustrations and simple, rhyming, easy-to-follow story.

[Peacegal]

Aww! Super cute and happy vehicle characters. i know I would have liked this one as a kid.

[kim]

cute, but not as smooth as the other vehicle books she's done

[Bonn]

Pretty adorable little school bus rhyme

[Owen and Nathan]

Very cute

[Susan]

Good colors, lots of repetition. Very cute.

[Leslie Marley]

Excellent read aloud for 2 years old and up!

[Melina]

A cute little story with pictures that show diverse people. I like the rhyming and would consider reading this book on the first day/at the beginning of the school year.

[Addie]

2 year old loved the pictures and "read" it to me first. It was cute, but for some reason I wanted to sing it and it didn't fit a tune haha

[Twos Bothell]

Loved this book! It was just the right length for a two year old, with rhyming words, action, and sound words! Lots of great illustrations, new vocabulary, and storyline. Hope I can get this book in our classroom library.

[Karen]

The little school bus goes around the town picking up students to take them to school. One of the days is a snow day so the Little Bus's friend Driver Bob gets to stay home in his tiny house.

This book is very cute. The illustrations are bright and colorful and fit the text of the page. The book itself is very sturdy, the pages are thicker than regular books and built for small hands. The font is larger for beginning readers. The first line is the rhyming stanza is the same throughout the book. My only negative comment would be the flow of the rhyme is off just a bit two of the pages. It seems to me that it would flow better with an extra word in the line. Even with this I thought this book was cute and will be highly sought after with early elementary.

[Melanie Hetrick]

A cute story of a little school bus and is friend "Driver Bob." The school bus explains his daily tasks in rhyme. Children will enjoy the rhyming text and the friendly illustrations.

A good one for toddler storytime.