The Kids on the Bus: A Spin-the-Wheel Book of Emotions

by Kirsten Hall, Melissa Crowton (Illustrator)

An interactive board book that lends a new twist to "Wheels on the Bus"!

The feelings on the bus go 'round and 'round, All 'round the town.

Take a turn on this busy city bus to discover what everyone is feeling. Spin the wheel to match the feeling to the scene, then sing along with the familiar song in this creative introduction to emotions. A fun, updated take on the classic children's song, this novelty board book shaped like a stylishly modern bus will have kids acting and singing along—and reflecting on their own varied emotions.

• A cute and clever intro to emotions for babies and toddlers
• Classic sing-a-long for parents and children
• Unique shape and interactive features help engage young readers

A classic read-aloud sing-along book for young fans of such books as My Fun School Bus , Fire Trucks! , and The Little School Bus .

This charming sing-able, read-able board book helps children identify emotions, a key early childhood developmental milestone.

• Read-aloud books for ages 0–3
• School bus books
• Bus shaped book

Genres: Music, Animals

16 pages, Novelty Book

Published March 17, 2020

About the author

Kirsten is a native New Yorker. After college, where she majored in English and minored in Child Development, Hall taught preschool and then Kindergarten while studying Early Childhood Education in NYU’s masters program. Her first easy reader book was written (and published) when she was in the 7th grade. Since then she has written approximately 150 early reader and chapter books for children, on a broad range of topics, for publishers including Scholastic, HarperCollins, Barnes & Noble, Random House, and Chronicle.
In addition to writing, Hall operates her own boutique illustration and literary agency, Catbird Productions. Hall currently resides in New York City.

Reviews

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Playing on the familiar son, The Kids on the Bus, this book spins into the world of emotions...and I mean that literally.

Shaped as a school bus, this book immediately embraces the theme and sets the mood. Every page flows with a verse fitting to the song, making this a book which can be sung along. At first, only a few kids enter the bus, and with each turn of the page, more get on. Before flipping, though, the reader is asked 'How Are You Feeling Today?' A wheel then allows the reader to spin emotion faces—visible in a round opening above the bus driver's head—until they reach whatever emotion they believe is being displayed on the bus at that moment.

Even at first glance, this book gives a cute impression. The school bus form draws in and the animal-children are vibrant and full of excitement. The atmosphere is a very pleasant one the entire way through. The illustrator also makes sure to pack in diversity and needed politeness. So, it's a nice 'feel good' read, perfect for young listeners. Add the text, which can be easily sung in thought of the original song, and it's also a wonderful read-aloud, which is sure to grab young listeners' interest.

The point of this book is to teach young listeners to recognize emotions...or so it would seem. The idea of placing the different (and simple) emotion faces on wheel, which the reader spins, is a lovely touch. Young listeners will enjoy spinning it around and around. The emotions include mostly positive ones with only an 'angry', which hits when the bus driver gets a bit over-whelmed with the giggling on the bus. I did find this a little odd and would have liked to have seen a more solid reason for the driver's anger. But then, all the kids on the bus know is positive. Other emotions like being sad or worried aren't included, which was also a shame. Still, it's a cute book which is sure to have young listeners flipping through again and again.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the sing-along ride.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pardon the pun...A new spin on a favorite familiar song.

As each animal gets on the bus, they are asked by the bus driver's sign, "How are you feeling today?" Kirsten Hall has adapted the text to this familiar song to open up discussion of feelings. A sturdy wheel with a window viewed on the bus driver's sign offers words and emoticons that match the many moods of the passengers.

The digital artwork by Melissa Crowton shows much thought went into each two-page spread. The font used is a sans serif, black in color, with the color changing on repeated words; the color of the font matches the color on the emoticon. Crowton uses a pastel or light color background, while using stronger colors on the characters, making them pop forward. While animals are used (rather than people), each is different (evidence of diversity) and includes a hippo in a wheelchair and a rabbit with glasses.

This will be a useful tool to use for SEL, particularly with students who have a difficult time identifying and tagging emotions.

Recommended for Toddlers-PreK.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This board book allows youngsters to move the wheel on the right-hand page in order to reveal various feelings. As the wheel turns, various animal passengers board a bus, driven by a friendly but somewhat harried tiger. As the bus gets more crowded, things also get louder and louder. Most youngsters will recognize that this is take-off on the beloved classic "The Wheels on the Bus," and will enjoy spinning the wheel, and singing along. Parents and caregivers could also use the book as a way to help little ones identify how they are feeling.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books would be a fun small group reading in a daycare or early childhood classroom.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for providing the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This lively book offers a wonderful way to introduce your preschooler to emotions. First, you’ll have so much fun introducing the old favorite song, THE WHEELS ON THE BUS to your child. Then the fun continues when you discover the words in the story perfectly fit the tempo of the familiar tune. Finally as you read and sing about each passenger, your little one can spin the wheel to choose the emotion that animal is feeling.

I loved the simple illustrations, the familiar objects and the diversity on every page. You’ll have endless conversations about not only the feelings, but also about the animals’ activities and what they’re carrying. This is available now!