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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 okay 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.
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