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Description
Bug, Bat, Hen, Cat, Pig, Pup, and Fox all hop on the bus for a fun trip, but everything changes when a skunk decides to join them!
This decodable story is laugh-out-loud funny and perfect for practicing simple phonics. David Catrow, the award-winning creator of two New York Times Best Illustrated Books and multiple bestselling picture books, applies his prodigious talent to a story that will delight children as they embark on their reading adventure.
The story has eighty-three words with short vowels, twelve consonants, two sight words and two blends. The books in the award-winning I Like to Read(R) series build vocabulary and promote fluency, which are essential for reading success.
Acclaimed author-illustrators—including winners of Caldecott, Theodor Seuss Geisel, Pura Belpré, and Coretta Scott King awards and honors—create original, high-quality books with illustrations that support comprehension of simple text and are fun for kids to read again and again with their parents, teachers or on their own!
Colorful pencil, watercolor, and ink illustrations full of energy give lots of detail and playfully extend the storytelling with visual gags. With a fun, entertaining story tidily composed of the easiest ofwords, this beginning reader is a fantastic recommendation for emerging readers who need something achievable and want a silly story at the same time.
Kirkus
Starred Review
Catrow's style suggests chaos at every corner, yet he keeps the frenzied activities contained within his hairy watercolors. It's an impressive accomplishment on every level. A brilliantly simple paean to short vowels.
School Library Journal
Starred Review
PreS-Gr 1--This early reader follows a crew of animals as they board a bus for an exciting trip. Everything is going well--except for Slug being slow--until Skunk boards the bus. After everyone else leaves, Bug and Skunk find friendship on the bus and play games together at their destination. The text uses simple sentences with a repeating format and structure, and the vibrant and colorful mixed media and watercolor illustrations bring emotion and movement to the story. There are several pages dedicated to Slug's slow arrival at the bus; however, the animal drawn is clearly a caterpillar and not a slug at all. (An author's note to the grown-ups explains that the made-up character is a slug caterpillar with more legs than a real slug caterpillar). If readers can overlook this affront to the gastropods of the world, the story will delight and elicit giggles from young readers. VERDICT An early reader with an appealing story line but still a secondary purchase.--Jessica Trafton
Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
David Catrow has illustrated many books for children, including The Fly Flew In, an I Like to Read(R) book. He also created the visual development for the animated feature Horton Hears a Who! Mr. Catrow lives in Ohio. Learn more at catrow.com.
