“Kindergarrrten Bus” by Mike Ornstein, illustrated by Kevin M. Barry – c. 2018, Sleeping Bear Press – $16.99 / $20.99 Canada – 32 pages
It won’t be long and you’ll be heading to school.
Kindergarten is fun, if you didn’t know that already. But are you nervous? Are you scared about your first day in school? Maybe you should know that other kids are in the same boat – or, as in the new book “Kindergarrrten Bus” by Mike Ornstein, illustrated by Kevin M. Barry, they’re in the same vehicle.
It was the first day of kindergarten and all the kids were lined up, ready to go. The bus was on time, but the bus driver wasn’t your normal person-next-door.
This bus driver had a parrot named Polly. Yes, the bus driver was a pirate!
Once everyone was aboard his “tight ship – err… bus,” he had all the “little scoundrels” in their seats. And then he had rules:
“No getting’ out of ye seats!”
“No yellin’!”
“Keep ye hooks – errr, I mean hands – to ye self! And always rrrespect ye mates!”
Who expects a pirate to drive the bus? Nobody, that’s who, and these kids were scared.
Mostly, they held tight to the toys they brought with them, and they missed their moms and dads and puppies. The kids were very sad. A couple of them started to cry but the pirate was having none of that. Pirates don’t cry! They’re extremely brave and they’re never scared!
Or, at least that’s what this pirate said. But when his beloved parrot, Polly, flew out of a window as the bus hit a pothole, well, he was plenty frightened and not one bit brave! He might have even cried because he was really scared and he needed his parrot.
He stopped the bus and it might have sat forever, but one of the kids reminded the pirate about the meaning of “brave.” Another said that being super-afraid was OK and that “Everybody gets scared.”
The kids helped the pirate see that he could even cry a bit and everrrrrrything would turn out rrrrright in the end…
In the life of your child, there have been many milestones. Starting school is a Big One, and “Kindergarrrten Bus” eventually makes it not quite as scary.
But first – this book can be a little intimidating. Kids will find themselves in the seats of this bus, with misery in the air and author Mike Ornstein’s pirate at the wheel, gruff and authoritative. That may take a sensitive little one aback; the illustrations by Kevin M. Barry add to an atmosphere that doesn’t initially feel very friendly at all, and certainly not warm or fun. Thankfully, that all changes, but it takes a few pages to get to a better place in the story; in the end, yes, it does turrrrrrn out alrrrrright but ARGH!
It will help if you read this book aloud properly: it demands Pirate Talk and parrot squawks.
There are laughs in this book for your child, but you’ll be half the fun. So clear your throat, try “Kindergarrrten Bus,” and it won’t take long for your child to love it.
