THE BUS STOP

Stoeke offers a gentle introduction to one of life’s portals in this plain-and-simple, rhymed picture book. Not every kid feels a rush of happy anticipation the first time the school bus folds back the doors to reveal its world-changing maw. But the pristine citizens of Stoeke’s story have stifled any qualms and found ways to look forward to their inaugural rides to school. Their unwavering innocence is set to verse: “Miranda Cook / has a library book”; “Jackson Bowles / has a backpack that rolls.” The book radiates a participatory peace of mind, making sure to shoot it through with generous applications of cheery color. It even allows for a touch of human longing—“School is great / but they just can’t wait . . . ”—that interweaves the sanctuary of the school bus and the security of home. Since any child who completes grades one through 12 will be hopping aboard the bus about 5,000 times during that period, it pays to launch the experience right. Stoeke, by giving it both a beginning and end and a sense of celebratory adventure, bevels the edge of this great transition. (Picture book. 3-5)