The Bridge Is Up! [Hardcover]

Babs Bell (Author), Rob Hefferan (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0060537930 | ISBN-13: 978-0060537937 | Publication Date: February 17, 2004

"The bridge is up!

The bus can't go.

So everyone has to wait."

First the bus, then the car, then the bike -- so begins the long line of different vehicles waiting to cross the bridge. What a traffic jam! And when the bridge finally does comes down . . . nobody has to wait!

Babs Bell's simple text and Rob Hefferan's joyous illustrations make this trip a fun, worthwhile read.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

PreS. Fun to read aloud, this cumulative picture book tells what happens when a bridge goes up. One after another, vehicles arrive at the water's edge. "The bus can't go, the car can't go, the bike can't go, the truck can't go, the motorcycle can't go . . . so everyone has to wait." Young children, who have trouble waiting for most anything, will enjoy seeing the increasing impatience of animal characters who want to get a move on and their satisfaction when the bridge descends and traffic starts up again. Like the animals' moods, the colors in the artwork seem a bit drab until the bridge goes back down; then the sky lightens to sunny colors, and the drivers and passengers all cross the river. With a childlike air that suits the simple text, the illustrations have a great sense of activity and motion, even when traffic is stopped. Great fun for young children. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Babs Bell has been a teacher and school administrator for thirty years. She has taught elementary and special education classes at all levels, and served as director of special education. A frequent speaker at national conferences for teachers and parents, she and her husband live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (February 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060537930
• ISBN-13: 978-0060537937
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #940,147 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for teaching little ones to read., December 2, 2004

By 

Calamity Jane (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bridge Is Up! (Hardcover)

We got this out of the library for our 3-year-old, and he loved it so much he wanted to read it every night. He very quickly knew the story well enough that he was "reading" it himself on each page. We're buying this for him for Christmas, and I fully expect it to be one of the books that teaches him how to read. The repetition is great for that, and it enables us to read it in a silly way, and read the "so everyone has to wait" pages in an mockingly exasperated, impatient voice that he has learned to mimic as well. Highly recommend.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kirkus Review, April 15, 2004

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Kirkus Review - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bridge Is Up! (Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews
This enthusiastic read begins, "The Bridge is up! The bus can't go, so everyone has to wait." Following the bus and joining the queue come various modes of transport, from a bike to a bulldozer. Each vehicle is tacked on to the end of the refrain, building repetition. When the bridge finally descends, everything is repeated again, only this time, the bus can go! Hefferan's illustrations have cottony edges with an oil-base crayon vibrancy to the colors. The drivers and passengers, animals all, are expressive and charming. The font is expansive and jaunty, part and parcel with the artwork. Slightly bothersome, though, are the perspectives. Throughout the story the automobiles shift, inexplicably, from forming a line to sitting side by side. However, children will enjoy identifying the vehicles and watching the bicycle-riding monkey wander about before joining the motorcyclist. Whether to a crowd of one or many, this read-aloud is sure to be a pleaser. (Picture book. 3-6)

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for toddlers., September 9, 2011

By 

Fred Follis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Bridge Is Up! (Hardcover)

I wish this book was still in print.

The repitiion and naive illustration style (plus all the vehicles) makes this a storytime favorite!