Axle Annie [Hardcover]

Robin Pulver (Author), Tedd Arnold (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Axle Annie

Axle Annie is the best school bus driver in Burskyville--especially when it comes to driving her bus up snow-covered Tiger Hill, the toughest slope in town. Because of Annie, the superintendent never has to declare a snow day. And that's just why grouchy bus driver Shifty Rhodes hatches a plot to stop Axle Annie in her tracks!

Robin Pulver, author of the Mrs. Toggle school stories, and Tedd Arnold, best-selling creator of numerous picture books, are both upstate New Yorkers who know a thing or two about snow. Together they've created a hilarious story with enough chills, thrill, and hills to keep readers cheering them all the way to school.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

On wintry days, the Burskyville school superintendent calls school bus driver Axle Annie to see whether she can drive her route: "If you say no, I'll close the schools. My decision depends on you." Annie always answers, "Do snowplows plow? Do tow trucks tow? Are school buses yellow? Of course I'll make it up Tiger Hill!" Thanks to her, the local schools never have a snow day. This enrages Shifty Rhodes, a lazy bus driver whose very name suggests icy conditions. With a crooked ski-resort owner (aptly called Hale Snow), Shifty conspires to use a snowmaking machine on Tiger Hill. Needless to say, Annie (with a little help from her friends) rises to the challenge. Pulver (Nobody's Mother Is in Second Grade) creates a memorable character in Annie, who welcomes both children and stranded motorists aboard her bus. Arnold (Green Wilma; Huggly Takes a Bath) portrays her as a woman who joyously greets a snowstorm by standing in front of an open window. Annie's excited smile never leaves her face, and she sports a brown leather aviator's jacket, a woolly flight cap and goggles when she takes the wheel. True, Annie pushes the envelope of safety, and the author doesn't account for the glee of Annie's young passengers, who can't wait to get to school. Nevertheless, this lively tale of an idiosyncratic bus driver may warm a chilly crowd on a would-be snow day. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Axle Annie is not your average school-bus driver. She tells jokes, does magic tricks, and manages to retain her optimism even when snowstorms strike. In fact, the schools there never have a snow day because Annie always assures the superintendent that her bus will make it to the top of Tiger Hill. Enter the villain, Shifty Rhodes. The meanest bus driver in town, he hates his job, especially in winter. Determined to foil Annie, he enlists the help of the new ski-resort owner, Hale Snow. Will a snow machine plus a blizzard keep Annie from delivering the kids to school? Arnold's cartoons add just the right touch of humor to this cross between Virginia Burton's Katy and the Big Snow (Houghton, 1973) and Watty Piper's The Little Engine That Could (Platt & Munk, 1930), with a dash of old-fashioned melodrama thrown in for good measure. The book is sure to be a seasonal hit, especially when hopes for a snow day have been dashed.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803720963
• ISBN-13: 978-0803720961
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 11.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,356,215 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Axle Annie is one bus driver all the kids will love!, May 9, 2001

By 

Volkert Volkersz (Snohomish, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Axle Annie (Hardcover)

"Axle Annie" was an overwhelming read-aloud hit with a class of second graders in my elementary school library. Tedd Arnold's comical illustrations are the perfect complement to Robin Pulver's tall tale about a dedicated school bus driver who can always make it up Tiger Hill, no matter how snowy it may get.

When the superintendent asks her on blizzard mornings if she can make it up Tiger Hill, Axle Annie always replies, "Do snowplows plow? Do tow trucks tow? Are school buses yellow? Of course I can make it up Tiger Hill!" This is how he always determines that Burskeyville Schools will stay open in stormy weather.

Another bus driver, Shifty Rhodes, who hates to drive in blizzard conditions, teams up with disgruntled ski resort operator, Hale Snow, who never has extra business because local schools never close for snow days. Together they come up with a plan to prevent Axle Annie from making it up Tiger Hill.

In our elementary school, where a majority of the students ride the school bus, and where we sometimes DO close for snow days, the kids could relate to the exaggerated personalities of the drivers, as well as the snowy conditions that every child--and some teachers--hope will shut down school once in a while. Around here, many kids probably would probably go skiing, sledding or snowboarding.

The repetitive line, quoted above, quickly becomes a chorus with children listening to this hilarious story. This is a fun book, and would be perfect for children in late Fall or early Winter, as the days get colder and the clouds get grayer! Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I made it snow in my classroom!, September 11, 2003

By 

Pipr (Denver, Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Axle Annie (Hardcover)

At a recent teacher's conference, I learned how to connect the Axle Annie story with a hands-on science experiment to actually make it snow in front of the kids. After reading the story, I suggested to the class that we make a snow machine. The secret is this stuff called Insta-Snow from Steve Spangler Science. When you add water to the powder, it erupts into snow. Well, it's fake snow, but the eruption from the "snow machine" is so cool that the kids go wild. It's like the story of Axle Annie came to life. Thanks to Robin Pulver and Tedd Arnold for a great book and to Steve Spangler for building a great science and literature connection.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Axle Annie, October 12, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Axle Annie (Hardcover)

This book is titled Axle Annie. Ted Arnold wrote this book. The genre of this book is fiction. The main characters are Axle Annie, Shifty Rhodes, and Hail Snow.
In the town of Burskyville, Axle Annie is a bus driver and every snow storm Axle Annie was asked if she could get over Tiger Hill, the biggest hill in Burskyville. The answer was always the same,"Of course I can!" that's why Burskyville never ever has had a snow day. Shifty Rhodes was very mad. He hated Axle Annie. Shifty was also a bus driver. Shifty always complained about his job. The next day, Axle Annie, once again, got up Tiger Hill. That morning Shifty Rhodes got so mad because Burskyville was the only school out of all the towns in the five-county area that had school. Shifty blamed it all on Axle Annie. Shifty was in a terrible mood that morning on his bus.
Shifty met a new man named Hail Snow. Hail had a snow making machine he didn't want. Shifty told him all about Axle Annie. Then they made a plan to make more snow and put it on Tiger Hill. Hail and Shifty were happy for themselves. Then they put the snow on Tiger Hill. Then Shifty smashed into the machine. When Axle Annie got to the hill it was bad. Axle Annie tried to go up and she got stuck. People helped her. Then she saw Hail and Shifty covered in snow and found out thier plan. Then she let them on the bus. Shifty quit his job, moved out of town, and got a job on a cruise ship. Hail named a ski slope after Annie. the kids asked her if they would get down. The answer was always the same, "of course we will." The kids USUALLY got down the slope.
I think this is a good children's and adult's book because it is funny. I would recommend it to anyone who likes humurous fiction.