Bunnies on the Bus (Bunnies on the Bus)

by Philip Ardagh (Author) Ben Mantle (Illustrator)

Bunnies on the Bus (Bunnies on the Bus)
Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

A romping, riotous read-aloud from best-selling author Philip Ardagh and award-winning illustrator Ben Mantle Bunnies on the bus!

Bunnies on the bus!

No wonder there's a fuss

about the bunnies on the bus!

There are bunnies on the bus, and they're causing mayhem in Sunny Town! Watch as they whiz past the bus stop, fly by the swings, and zoom over the crosswalk -- these bunnies aren't stopping for anyone. They finally reach the station, but where are they hopping off to now? Uh-oh . . .

Acclaimed author Philip Ardagh's rhyming, high-energy text and "Bunnies on the bus!" refrain is ideal for library or classroom read-alouds, and Ben Mantle's colorful illustrations are chock-full of zany details perfect for repeat reads.

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Publishers Weekly

"Bunnies on the bus!/ Bunnies on the bus!/ No wonder there's a fuss/ about the bunnies on the bus!" That's Ardagh's (High in the Clouds) vividly silly refrain, and he and Mantle (Follow the Track All the Way Back) enthusiastically engage with it on every page. Sunny Town seems like an orderly burg--even the bugs dutifully use the crosswalk. But when one of Sunny Town's buses ends up full of rabbits, it turns into a speeding, careening public menace, with the bunny driver "swerving 'round the corners" while the town's other denizens react from sidewalks and bus stops with a range of expressions. The only nonbunny passenger is a large newspaper-reading sheepdog in a tiny bowler hat, who seems unbothered by it all--until, that is, the bunnies break the ultimate bus law: no playing in the aisles. Even though the bunnies misbehave in every imaginable way--including eating ice cream on the bus's fender--they're unfailingly wide-eyed, creating an amusing tension between the gleeful bus-riding rabbits and would-be riders outside. Digitized colored pencil pictures, rendered in deep pastels, bring to mind a pepped-up vintage Little Golden Book. Keen-eyed readers will spot other madcap moments, including a police chase, occurring alongside the rabbits' romp. Ages 3-7. (Aug.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Repetitive phrasing in the rhyming verses adds to the frenzied atmosphere that quickly ensues...The illustrations alone will keep readers occupied for hours.
—Kirkus Reviews

Digitized colored pencil pictures, rendered in deep pastels, bring to mind a pepped-up vintage Little Golden Book. Keen-eyed readers will spot other madcap moments, including a police chase, occurring alongside the rabbits' romp.
—Publishers Weekly

The riotous illustrations—digitally manipulated pencil drawings—are brimming with action, colorful details, and rambunctious fun. This rollicking picture book is best read aloud one-on-one, as kids will want to turn the pages back and forth repeatedly as they search for specific characters in different illustrations. It's a cautionary tale: if bunnies board your bus, expect pandemonium.
—Booklist Online
Philip Ardagh
Philip Ardagh is the author of the companion book Bunnies on the Bus, illustrated by Ben Mantle. A prolific writer who has been published in forty languages, he is the author of the best-selling Eddie Dickens trilogy; High in the Clouds, cowritten with Paul McCartney and Geoff Dunbar; and Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky, winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He lives in Kent, England.

Ben Mantle is the illustrator of Bunnies on the Bus by Philip Ardagh, Follow the Track All the Way Back by Timothy Knapman, and many other picture books. He is also the author-illustrator of the Dinostars series as well as The Best Birthday Present Ever! and The Best Christmas Present Ever! Before turning to children's illustration, Ben Mantle worked in animation, including on Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. He lives in Brighton, England.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781536211160
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Candlewick Press (MA)
Publication date
July 14, 2020
Series
Bunnies on the Bus
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV002210 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Rabbits
JUV041000 - Juvenile Fiction | Transportation | General
Library of Congress categories
Rabbits
Animals
Picture books
Stories in rhyme
Humorous fiction
Bus travel

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