Todd Harris Goldman

[This review was previously published. I rewrote and edited it.]

This book counts from one to ten and back to one again. Sort of. We start with 1 bus driver and add people as he picks up groups - "Next, six doctors all paid their fare/Then seven nurses, late for work, came out of nowhere." After he reaches 10 groups (which is 55 people if you're counting), he drops each group off until only 1 bus driver is left again. Ok, the numbers on this are confusing. He picks up people in groups that match their numbers, and there are 10 windows on his bus, but if you're counting all the people it's way more than 10. In the picture showing the full bus only 24 people are shown. Also, the rhymes are flat and clunky and don't add to the story - it seems like the words were picked just so they'd rhyme, not to add to the "plot" in any way.

The book is shaped like a bus, a rectangle with the lower curves of the wheels sticking out. The pictures are small and the details are even smaller. They felt flat and had no depth of emotion. The pages are thinner than the average chunky board book and the hinges felt very flimsy.

Verdict: I think parents and kids would probably like the bus-shaped aspect, but the book would disappoint with its confusing counting and wouldn't last long on the shelf. Not recommended.

ISBN: 9780307979070; Published 2013 by Robin Corey Books/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library's prize box… (plus d'informations)