One of my EV and AA's favourite song is The Wheels On The Bus. Just humming it is enough to get them grooving. So imagine their surprise when I opened a particular book and began singing to them. They must be thinking: why is mummy singing, not reading?
That particular book that I read was The Wheels On The Bus. Illustrated by Annie Kubler, this book was intended for AA, but as it turns out, EV has taken a liking to it too. I believe they are attracted by the bright colours and 'active' illustrations. Many things seem to be happening on the same page, and it's interesting to see the attention given to the details. As the song develops on each page, different passengers, such as a clown and a magician, 'run' to catch the bus, and join the children and adults already on it. The bus seems to be rushing somewhere, as illustrated by the water splashes near the wheels and the little animals who are trying to move away from the bus' path.
Soon we realise that the bus is bringing the passenger to a carnival, and this is depicted in the final page. In fact, what's interesting is the back cover. Instead of the usual summary, the back cover shows a road, presumably the route taken by the bus, with passengers such as the clown waiting by the bus stop. This means that besides just reading the text, the book is also great for picture storytelling and discussion, which is helpful in the development of visual literacy.
It's currently officially the kids' favourite title. Every night, I will have to read it to them without fail. I believe they like the fact that their favourite song also comes in the form of a book, not just something that they can hear, but something that they can read, feel and touch. They like it so much that they like to read it themselves too.
Here's AA reading it himself, and putting his finger to his lips, to the lines 'The parents on the bus go shish shish shish…'.
Activities
In line with the 'bus' theme of the book, I brought AA on a bus ride, and it was a fun bonding time for mummy and son. AA also did a 'shapes' activity, where he made a bus using different shapes cut from felt.
Other possible activities include:
- DIY bus pretend play, where I made a 'steering wheel' out of recycled cardboard, arranged chairs in rows, and we boarded the bus!
- Paint a bus, and introduce other types of transportation at the same time, such as car, truck and motorcycle
- Take a ride on a open-top bus
We hope you enjoy The Wheel On The Bus too. Till the next Book Box Thursday, happy reading!!
Disclaimer: We received a copy of The Wheels On The Bus from My Imagination Kingdom. No monetary compensation was received. All opinions and images are my own.
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