We catch the bus by Katie Abey

Bloomsbury, 2020. ISBN: 9781526607195. 32pp.
(Age: 3+) Recommended. Wow! This is one busy, brightly illustrated book that kids who love looking for details will adore. Readers are asked to "What will You drive today?" right on the front cover by a lion wearing a green mask and from then on the fun begins. Astute readers will notice the monkey on the title page and follow him through each section as he gives a hint of what type of vehicle is coming next. Readers will catch all types of buses from a double decker bus to a banana bus and a ghost tour bus and when they find the monkey who has a speech bubble "Not me, I fly planes!" they will know that the next page will feature planes and that the monkey will tell them what is next. They then continue to drive trucks, trains, diggers and cars, ride bikes, sail boats, ride emergency vehicles and tractors and fly rockets.
Each double page spread is full of humorous drawings and strange animals all done in vivid colours. Instructions like 'Count the spiders', and 'Can you spot the smallest animal?', and 'Who is wearing a purple hat?', all make the reader look more closely at the illustrations on the pages while often getting a huge laugh out of the weird and wonderful animals who populate them.
Others by Abey include We wear pants and We eat bananas and fans are sure to enjoy this one too. It is one to share with a younger child, discussing types of transport and laughing together about the antics of the animals, while an older child will be prepared to spend a lot of time pouring over the details and finding the answers to the many questions that the author poses. Themes: Vehicles, Transport, Animals, Imagination.
Pat Pledger