cover image The Wheels on the Bus

The Wheels on the Bus

Paul Zelinsky. Dutton Children's Books, $20.99 (16pp) ISBN 978-0-525-44644-6

In an ingeniously designed, deftly executed lift-the-flap (and pull-the-tab) book, Zelinsky elaborates on the well-known and much-loved children's song. Not only do its wheels go round and round, but the bus here also has doors that open and shut, windshield wipers that move back and forth, and so on. The text consists of the lyrics of the song itself, but Zelinsky has neatly inserted a number of visual subplots that flesh out the story--one involving a boy with a boxful of adventurous kittens, another a motorcyclist and her runaway puppy, a third a young man with a guitar. The music and refrain are included on the back cover, and those unfamiliar with the song may well want to bone up in order to sing the book's praises to the most appropriate tune. Ages 2-8. (Oct.)