Waah, Waah, Waah!: The Babies on the Bus by Karen Katz

THE BABIES ON THE BUS SING "LA, LA, LA,
LA, LA, LA,

LA, LA, LA."

THE BABIES ON THE BUS SING "LA, LA, LA!"

ALL THROUGH THE TOWN.

These babies are really toddlers, a variety of different round-face tots in bright school clothes, all on their way to nursery school on their very own big yellow bus. This bus has the usual equipment--wheels that go round and round, doors that open and close, wipers that go swish, and a horn that merrily toot-toot-toots as their baby-faced driver toodles them through town. These toddler scholars sing along as they bump, bump, bumpety bounce along, and even lapse into a bit of waah, waah, waah-ing as the ride goes on and they get sleepy.

But with a reassuring "Shush, Shush, Shush" from their driver, the babies on the bus settle down for some quick ZZZZs, and before you know it, the yellow bus bounces up to daycare door, and with a final cheery "Everyone up, Everyone up, Everyone up," their driver hands them off to their smiling, waving teachers, and it's time for the school day to begin.

"BYE, BYE, BYE,

BYE, BYE, BYE,

BYE, BYE, BYE."

And with a last "Bye-bye, Bus!" the toddlers line up and toddle inside.

Karen Katz' happy jellybean colors and signature PlaySkool-style kids smooth and sooth the transition to mounting that big bus for a day away at preschool in her newest, The Babies on the Bus (Henry Holt, 2011) skillfully retools the old bus to suit the toddler crowd with some new rhymes, and the different expressions on the little preschoolers' faces on the bus give little ones plenty to look at as they sing along with the familiar tune. School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews both give this one a "thumbkins up!"