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Bus Stop: A Picture Book
In the spirit of The Snowy Day , author Angela H. Dale and illustrator Lala Watkins’s Bus Stop is a picture book story featuring a group of kids from A to Z who arrive at the bus stop only to discover that the bus is a no-show—snow day!
It’s time for school, and all the neighborhood kids from Antoine to Mahmoud to Zoey, gather one by one in the frosty dawn to wait for the school bus. But something more thrilling arrives first. Snowflakes fall, transforming the bus stop into a winter wonderland—and an official snow day. No school!
“Together, the text and illustrations create an energetic and idealized urban landscape that readers would love to visit . . . Simple, snowy fun with a vocabulary-building boost.”— Kirkus Reviews
It’s time for school, and all the neighborhood kids from Antoine to Mahmoud to Zoey, gather one by one in the frosty dawn to wait for the school bus. But something more thrilling arrives first. Snowflakes fall, transforming the bus stop into a winter wonderland—and an official snow day. No school!
“Together, the text and illustrations create an energetic and idealized urban landscape that readers would love to visit . . . Simple, snowy fun with a vocabulary-building boost.”— Kirkus Reviews
32 pages, Hardcover
Published October 4, 2022
2 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 31, 2023
Perfectly captures children’s exuberance and the joy of an unexpected snow day, plus it’s a sneaky alphabet book. Fabulous illustrations!
August 28, 2022
This lyrical story follows a group of diverse children as they arrive at the school bus stop--but where is the bus? The prose follows the pattern of the alphabet, and the names of the children are based on real kids from the author's neighborhood. As more and more kids turn up, they discover the reason for the delay--it's a snow day! Hooray! I love how the story took me back to the excitement of a surprise day off from school!
The illustrations are endearing, with a child-like quality to them. They remind me a little of the work of Christian Robinson, with bold colors and sweet characters that children will relate to. Overall, this book would be perfect for reading aloud in the wintertime.
The illustrations are endearing, with a child-like quality to them. They remind me a little of the work of Christian Robinson, with bold colors and sweet characters that children will relate to. Overall, this book would be perfect for reading aloud in the wintertime.
September 16, 2022
A lovely, inclusive story about kids waiting for their bus (not realizing it's a snow day and school has been canceled). Fun character names from A-Z complement illustrations that give a nod to the classic children's book, The Snowy Day. I imagine kids will want to spend a lot of time looking at the illustrations and connecting the characters' actions to the text.
October 5, 2022
A joyful celebration of a snow day from A to Z, this debut picture book by author Angela H. Dale captures the exuberance and delight of a snow day from school in the most delightful way! Colorful, vibrant illustrations by Lala Watkins delight the eye as children with names from A to Z gather at the bus stop and discover the simple gift of a day of play. A darling book!
October 3, 2022
When kids start arriving at the bus stop on a gently snowing day, a bit of neighborhood fun ensues. I enjoyed the colorful, lively illustrations from Lala Watkins, and how author Angela Dale cleverly weaves in an alphabet layer to this delightful bus stop story.
December 3, 2022
An alphabet book that doesn't read like an alphabet book.
November 29, 2022
“But the bus is later.”
A delight from the first page to the last! This would be a wonderful read aloud.
A delight from the first page to the last! This would be a wonderful read aloud.
November 26, 2022
A surprise alphabet arrives at the bus stop, child by child. Beautiful and fun!
November 19, 2022
The BUS STOP is sure to be read again and again! From A to Z we wait with the children at the bus stop and watch as the weather turns to a playful winter day. Angela Dale's lyrical text paired with Lala Watkins adorable characters make this such an enjoyable read for children of all ages.
November 5, 2022
There are several reasons to fall in love with this picture book, BUS STOP. First, it is a perfect partnership between the author and the illustrator. The author’s sparse and lyrical text, combined with the vibrant art, makes this book a sweet read-aloud for little kids. They will rejoice as the bus stop gradually transforms from a sleepy street to one full of joy as children celebrate the snow day.
I loved how the author cleverly weaved an educational layer as kids with names A-Z gather at the bus stop, along with the strong verbs to help build vocabulary.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is that it reminded me of the delight I felt as a child when the school would close due to inclement weather.
I loved how the author cleverly weaved an educational layer as kids with names A-Z gather at the bus stop, along with the strong verbs to help build vocabulary.
Another reason I enjoyed this book is that it reminded me of the delight I felt as a child when the school would close due to inclement weather.
November 7, 2022
As children gather at the bus stop, the snow falls. The bus is late. The snow falls. Then a little voice is heard loud and clear, "No School!"
What a fun book with lots of names paired with verbs (actions). It's fun and snow day delightful.
Reviewed from a library copy.
What a fun book with lots of names paired with verbs (actions). It's fun and snow day delightful.
Reviewed from a library copy.
October 14, 2022
Author Angela Dale takes readers on a trip through what first feels like a typical school day morning, only to discover a special day. I didn't grow up in a state with winter snow, but living in NYC as an adult, I discovered fun snow days. Angela Dale's lyrical text and Lala Watkin's inclusive and vibrant illustrations paint the perfect snow day. Each spread feels like a child finding out a fantastic surprise. I highly recommend the book for kids of all ages, even the big kids who also love to play in the snow.
October 31, 2022
This lyrical book is all about the awe of the first snowy day of the year and the excitement of a sudden snow day. I love the child-like illustrations, the playing with words, and the diversity of children and names. A great book to get you started for the Holiday season.
October 5, 2022
A flurry of joy! Lyrical text as light as a snow flake--beautifully matched with joyous illustrations! Makes me remember those days of waiting for the school bus as friends gather as fast as the snow. Oooh the anticipation! Can't wait to read it to my preschool classroom! I got a second copy for my friend's 3 yr. old too. It's going to be a go-to Christmas gift for sure!
October 4, 2022
I don’t want to give away the ending of this sweet book, so this is a tough review! But I will say I absolutely adore the sparse and lyrical text, full of onomatopoeia and fun strong verbs, taking us through a typical (yet atypical – no spoilers!) morning with an alphabetical array of diverse children, from Antoine to Zoey. The illustrations are a colorful delight as well. 5 stars!
October 18, 2022
I LOVED THIS BOOK. It gets snowier and snowier every page! Halfway through the book I realized all the names were in alphabetical order! It was so fun!
October 24, 2022
Very inclusive, colorful and filled with joy. Found a few of the verbs hard to match with the children in the illustrations. I think I would have enjoyed it more NOT as an alphabet book.
October 2, 2025
Cute alphabet book where each child’s name starts with a different letter of the alphabet as they wait for the very late school bus.
I love how the school day ends up being a snow day with all the kids playing in the street.
I love how the school day ends up being a snow day with all the kids playing in the street.
January 17, 2023
Kiddos loved the names of children following alphabetical order.
November 29, 2022
BUS STOP is a brilliant alphabet book that beautifully captures the magic of childhood as twenty-six children wait for the school bus on a snowy day. Readers will adore Lala Watkins’ diverse cast of characters and Angela H. Dale’s lovely language. The poetic words and charming art leap off the page. This fun read aloud is a perfect choice for school and library storytime!
March 8, 2023
In Dale’s debut picture book, we begin on a gray morning on a quiet city street as bundled-up children begin to arrive at the school bus stop, one by one. The diverse cast of kids are drawn by Watkins in a range of skin tones. The children arrival in alphabetical order, with names (Tyshawna, Umer, Yoshi, Ziming) that indicate they live in a neighborhood with a rich cultural and ethnic background. In minimal, poetic language, (“Hannah stomps. Isiah romps. Joelle waltzes. Kartik wonders: Where’s the bus?”) Dale builds up the anticipation of the bus’s late arrival, which is joined with the appearance of snowflakes, snowball fights, and more kids to enjoy the fun. Finally, little Riya enthusiastically reports from her stoop there is “Noooo school!” sending the kids into whirls, spins, cheers, and grins, perfectly capturing the joy and magic of the unexpected snow day. The abecedarium features thick-lined, full-color illustrations that focus on the personalities of each child as they arrive. Kids might enjoy finding the little red bird with a blue scarf that observes the fun on each spread. An ideal read-aloud to enjoy on winter days along with a hot chocolate.
Ages 4-6
Ages 4-6
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2023
Love this book. My son and nephew had fun taking turns reading it aloud together. I love the vibrant language and there's so much to look at. Super book to read aloud, or for my little one to hold in her lap and slowly page through as she follows all of the the alphabet of kids from one page to the next. Love that the author and illustrator cast a diverse group of kids. And, of course, the fun of snow days. This book is good for the pre-reader up through a new reader (ages 2-7).
Adding to my initial review: I can't get enough of this book. Love the simplicity of the text on the page, the complementarity of text and illustration. It's really a beautiful book to read, to look at, and to feel. I love it more and more, every time I read it. Lots of little surprises and treasures in the rereads-- like the little red birdie.
Adding to my initial review: I can't get enough of this book. Love the simplicity of the text on the page, the complementarity of text and illustration. It's really a beautiful book to read, to look at, and to feel. I love it more and more, every time I read it. Lots of little surprises and treasures in the rereads-- like the little red birdie.
October 6, 2022
A celebration of childhood, play, and snow days! This delightful story follows a neighborhood of diverse children who gather to wait for the school bus, only to find—no bus! Instead, snow arrives and the fun begins! Angela H. Dale weaves the pattern of the alphabet into the story giving each child a name from A-Z. The endearing illustrations sprinkle joy and fun onto every page of this beautifully-written picture book.
January 7, 2023
A delightful book to inspire young school age students. The sweet art work could serve as a class project for every class to reinvent this book to mirror themselves. An alphabet soup of multi-cultural students wait for their bus, enjoying the novelty of a snowy morning by the bus stop--when (SPOILER!) the bus doesn't come because it's a snow day! This is a gentle salute to Ezra Jack Keats which is more joyous and more representational of what the world really looks like.
January 13, 2023
This new book is FABULOUS! I just got it on Monday and I have read it several times. There is so much to absorb: the endpapers showed us a city unlike Houston, TX; we discussed the words "bide," "drift," "yell," and "scream,"; we discussed how some cities use public transportation instead of cars; we discussed the difference between the English and Spanish alphabets and how that would have changed the book. And finally, we compared it to the classic "Snowy Day."
January 15, 2023
Angela has created a beautiful view of all the fun things that happen at a school bus stop, while also incorporating the alphabet in the names of the diverse group of children arriving to catch the bus. Her perfectly-selected word choice, combined with Lala’s stunning illustrations, capture the feeling of waiting for the bus and the excitement when it turns out to be a snow day!
October 4, 2022
This is very reminiscent of Ezra Jack Keats, Snowy Day. The kids all come to the bus stop bundled up as the snow falls. Diversity is shown in the names and faces of the kids in an organic way. This could be used in a storytime or to open discussion about diversity with school aged kids.
May 23, 2023
Kids are waiting for the bus in winter, when they learn that it's a snow day.
Each kid has a name starting with a different letter of the alphabet, A to Z, and they each are doing something different while waiting for the bus.
Each kid has a name starting with a different letter of the alphabet, A to Z, and they each are doing something different while waiting for the bus.
December 9, 2022
Rating: 5 leaves out of 5
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
Characters: 5/5
Cover: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Writing: 5/5
Genre: Children
Type: Book
Worth?: Yes
December 12, 2022
Very cute story, would be perfect for K-2 students.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews