From Publishers Weekly
With the color-saturated oils and retro graphics that have become his trademark, Kirk (Bigger) saves his readers a primo seat on a rip-roaring school bus ride. He alternates strong rectilinear double-page compositions of the bus's exterior with cartoon panels that keep the pace brisk, as he plunges readers into the heady claustrophobia of the bus's long, narrow interior. Game-playing, studying, extracurricular reading, primping, gossiping and snacking occur cheek-by-jowl. Freckle-faced Tommy brings Hammy the hamster for show-and-tell, and the critter's escape from its cage heightens the normal chaos of the daily bus trip. Dialogue balloons and a bongo-beat rhyming text punctuate the pictures as news of Hammy bounces from kid to kid: " 'I've got a brand-new game!'/ 'Tommy, is your hamster tame?'/ 'I used to have a hamster, too!'/ 'What is this, the city zoo?!?' " With Hammy's recapture from atop an ashen-faced girl's head the comic narrative tension gives the satisfying pop of overinflated bubble gum, and the children pile off the bus for the more orderly confines of school. For children who count the school bus ride as the highlight of their day, this ride with Kirk will seem like it's over too soon. Ages 4-8. (July)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
reS-Gr 3-When Tommy takes Hammy to school for show-and-tell, the impudent hamster escapes from his cage and wreaks havoc on the bus. Kirk encapsulates much of his lively, rhyming text in dialogue balloons, accentuating the normal hustle and bustle aboard a typical ride to school. Everyday activities and complaints alternate with the search for the pet: "Let's see the cards/you wanna trade./Watch it, Kate, you/pulled my braid!/My science homework's/almost done./Boy, that hamster/sure can run!" Brightly colored illustrations complement the noisy atmosphere. Many humorous activities not mentioned in the text appear in the pictures to reward careful observers. For instance, the girl who boards the bus asking, "-what's that funny smell?" ends up with the creature in her hair. Another girl reads throughout the uproar. And all of the drivers of the passing cars are talking on cell phones. Pair this offering with Donald Crews's School Bus (Greenwillow, 1984) for the youngest listeners, and add Alice K. Flanagan's photo-essay Riding the School Bus with Mrs. Kramer (Children's, 1998) for a glimpse at the driver's point of view. A lively trip that's loaded with fun.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
