It's Your First Day of School, Busy Bus!

June 1, 2018
A new bus is inspected on his first day.Ben, the bus driver, opens the bus barn's doors and says good morning to all the buses: Bossy, Zippy, Bouncy, Big, and the newest and smallest member of the fleet, Busy Bus. Busy Bus is very excited, and while Ben inspects his tires, tops up the gas, and adjusts the mirrors, "Busy Bus hopes the children will know they're safe." Ben moves inside to check the lights, stop arm, emergency door, fire extinguisher, and first aid kit while Busy Bus wonders if the children will "have fun" riding with him. Ben turns the motor on and checks the gauges and switches and wipers and brakes, but, inspection complete, Busy Bus has a sudden case of nerves: "What if I get homesick?...What if I don't make any friends?" But one last touch from Ben steels the bus's courage to go out and do his job. "Busy Bus is going to have a great year!" And hopefully readers will, too, though this book won't do too much to calm their own fears or keep their interest if they are not into vehicle inspections. Still, the lino print and black ink illustrations with digital color are cute and cheerful, and readers will learn the parts of a bus. Ben presents white.For vehicle enthusiasts just starting school. (Picture book. 2-6)

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June 4, 2018
First-day jitters aren’t just for kids. As another school year dawns, a new-to-the-route school bus wonders if he’s up to the job of transporting students. Luckily, Ben the bus driver makes sure that Busy Bus—contemporary of Bossy, Zippy, Bouncy, and Big Buses—is shipshape. Fans of stories about trucks and how things work will enjoy the behind-the-scenes action at the bus barn as Ben makes adjustments and preparations (“He fills Busy Bus’s tanks with gas. /Gussshhhh!”), and inspects the fire extinguisher and first aid kit. Messer’s digitally colored, lino-print-and-ink images showcase a sunny fleet of anthropomorphized yellow vehicles with headlight eyes and windshield-wiper eyebrows, which expressively raise as Busy Bus expresses his trepidation, and then form a rainbow arch when Busy Bus happily settles into his first day on the job. Ages 3–8.

August 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-Although Busy Bus is nervous about meeting the children, Ben the bus driver performs final preparations for the first day by checking the tires, windshield wipers, and other safety precautions to reassure Busy Bus before they pick up the children. The illustrations, created with lino prints, black ink, and digital colors, use rounded shapes and a soft, limited color palette. Each scene takes up the full page spread and the illustrations make good use of white space, especially when framing Busy Bus's most intense moments of anxiety about whether he will miss home or make new friends. The words and pictures together create the gentle introduction to the school bus and leave readers with the knowledge that Busy Bus is safe, clean, and ready for a great school year. VERDICT An excellent read-aloud for young children, especially during the first weeks of the school year or if children have worries about riding the school bus.-Kelly Topita, Anne Arundel County Public Library, MD

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