The Babies on the Bus

by Karen Katz, Karen Katz (Illustrator)

Overview

The babies on the bus sing LA-LA-LA! LA-LA-LA! LA-LA-LA! Jump on the bus with Karen Katz's adorable babies as they take a classic song for an all-new ride!

This irresistible board book by the popular author of The Colors of Us, Counting Kisses, and Where Is Baby's Belly Button? will steal your heart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805097795
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	08/20/2013
Pages:	28
Sales rank:	258,156
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD300L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Karen Katz has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Colors of Us, Can You Say Peace, My First Ramadan, Counting Kisses and Where is Baby’s Belly Button. Long inspired by folk art from around the world, she was inspired to write her first book, Over the Moon, when she and her husband adopted their daughter from Guatemala, and she wanted to tell the story of welcoming Lena into their lives. Katz loves to paint and experiment with texture, color, collage and pattern. Besides an author and illustrator, she has been a costume designer, quilt maker, fabric artist and graphic designer. Katz and her family divide their time between New York City and Saugerties, New York.

Karen Katz has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Colors of Us, Can You Say Peace, My First Ramadan, Counting Kisses and Where is Baby’s Belly Button. Long inspired by folk art from around the world, she was inspired to write her first book, Over the Moon, when she and her husband adopted their daughter from Guatemala, and she wanted to tell the story of welcoming Lena into their lives. Katz loves to paint and experiment with texture, color, collage and pattern. Besides an author and illustrator, she has been a costume designer, quilt maker, fabric artist and graphic designer. Katz and her family divide their time between New York City and Saugerties, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Lots of baby swagger.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Bright colors and simple patterns are eye-catching for all, but will have special appeal for babies and toddlers. Katz's familiar round-faced youngsters of different ethnicities will delight readers.” —School Library Journal

“With buoyant cartoons rendered in a bouquet of vibrant pastel tones, Katz . . . creates a book as irresistible as a baby's smile.” —Publishers Weekly on Counting Kisses

“There's an endearing energy in the busyness of the tots in tow... A shame the trip has to end, but how about an encore?” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

PreS—"The Wheels on the Bus" gets a facelift with new illustrations and a few new verses focused on babies. Each of the 13 verses is complete on a spread. Bright colors and simple patterns are eye-catching for all, but will have special appeal for babies and toddlers. Katz's familiar round-faced youngsters of different ethnicities will delight readers (singers), even when "the babies on the bus cry, 'Waah! Waah! Waah!'" The size and simplicity of the pictures make this an appropriate choice for groups, as well as for one-on-one sharing. The new verses are no more creative than those made up by librarians and children who regularly sing the song, but the illustrations make this a good buy for the youngest audience.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

School Library Journal

A nursery-song staple is presented with lots of baby swagger.

Wheels turn round, doors open and close and wipers swish when a mob of energetic toddlers climbs aboard the bus in this energetic rendition of a classic preschool tune. There's an endearing energy in the busyness of the tots in tow. A little child turned driver serves not only as a willing participant as the youngsters explore their surroundings, but also attempts to corral the other babes, gleefully tooting the horn one moment and admonishing the group the next. The children's sweet faces lead an angelic sing-along, then moods drastically change, resulting in tantrums until their napping brings welcome relief. (Even the driver forgoes attempts to soothe the boisterous group and curls up on the seat, cap slung across eyes in exhausted slumber.) Sunny mixed-media scenes capture the vehicle's enclosed space until a refreshing final spread exposes the gang's exact location. Katz's signature style is in full form here; racially diverse, rounded characters wear patterned clothes, lovingly unpretentious in their soft, enthusiastic movements. Uncomplicated wording gives each verse its due, leaving no room for guessing in the buoyant conclusion. "The babies on the bus say, / 'Bye-bye, bus!' / Now it's time to go."

A shame the trip has to end, but how about an encore? (Picture book. 1-4)

Kirkus Reviews