In this high-energy reworking of the familiar sing-along ditty, it’s a schoolbus that also picks up a crowd of teachers, lunch ladies and other school employees: “The librarian on the bus says, / “Read, read, read! Books, books, books! / Read, read, read! / The librarian on the bus says, / “Read more books!” / All the way to school.” In the bright, busy illustrations, rowdy grownups run up and down the aisles and hang out of the windows, while the children first look on bemusedly, then get into the act themselves. Real lunch ladies might feel dissed, seeing their counterparts here dishing up green “Glop.” Not only are some lines packed with extra syllables, but the pattern of repetition isn’t always predictable, making this version less infectious than the original. Still, a lively alternative to the old chestnut, it merits an audience. (musical arrangement) (Picture book. 5-8)
