Published by Chronicle Books

Summary:  At 7:00 a.m., one boy boards school bus number 4 to begin his 50-minute journey to school.  Along the way, he sees things out the window: one tree, three deer, four cars, seven sunflowers.  Gradually, the 28 seats in the bus fill up until there are 48 kids “packed like crayons in a crayon box.”  Finally, they arrive at school.  The day passes, and at 3:00 p.m. the boy stares out the classroom window, daydreaming about what he will see on his journey home.  60 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  A quiet story of kids not often represented in picture books–those who live in rural communities.  There are lots of numbers in the story, which would make it a fun one to read to children who are just learning how to count.  The beautiful colors make for eye-catching illustrations from orthodontist-by-day-artist-by-night Grant Snider.

Cons:  100 minutes on a school bus every day.

July 23, 2022 at 04:30PM Janet Dawson