The Bus Is for Us
(Book)

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.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2015 Booklist

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 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In this simple, entertaining rhyme, each of a diverse group of children names a ride he or she likes, from a train to a cloud. For traveling together, however, everyone declares, "But the best is the bus. / The bus is for us." Lively watercolor illustrations show children using their separate rides, then happily driving off together on their bus. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

There are so many ways to ride; some are flights of imagination. Various young children express their travel preferences in easy, rhyming text, beginning with "I really like / to ride my bike." A teddy bear is safely lashed to the back of the bike, and a red balloon trails behind. Other choices include a horse, a little boat, a big ship and an even bigger fish. Of course, that one's just a dream: "Sometimes I wish / I could ride on a fish." There's also a car, a train, a sleigh and a balloon to the moon. Maybe the strangest of all is the big polar bear, which a smiling little girl rides "for a dare." As diverse as these forms of transportation are, the children are even more so, first depicted standing in a line on the title page spread. An Asian girl licks a big puff of cotton candy; similarly dressed Caucasian siblings hold hands; a black girl holds her dog's leash. Each of the children appears in the transportation scenarios within. As the title indicates, the best ride of all is the bus, which adds passengers between the other descriptions of rides. The reason is clear: Everyone can ride together. Rosen's rhyming text has a relaxed, unforced feel, and his story is a nice mix of the practical and the fanciful. Tyler's warm watercolors add a dreamy layer of imagination to the story. A lovely treatment of a perennially popular topic. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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 2014 Booklist Reviews.

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