Parents' Guide to

The Yellow Bus

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Gentle tale celebrates one school bus' lifetime of service.

Book Loren Long Picture Book 2024
The Yellow Bus book cover: Diverse schoolkids enter a bright yellow bus against a gray penciled background

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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What's the Story?

THE YELLOW BUS begins as any back-to-school book might, with cheerful kids boarding the bus. But the story that unfolds is not about school, it's about the life of the bus as "she" serves different populations -- the elderly, the unhoused, farm animals and eventually fish, after a dam is created nearby and the land she stands on is flooded. The refrain regarding each group of passengers or inhabitants: "And they filled her with joy."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This quiet, beautiful mediation on a long life of service has a sweet message and dynamic art. Not only the bus but its ever-changing inhabitants are rendered in color, while the graphite and charcoal backgrounds and overhead views remain gray, making for dramatic contrasts. An author's note with photos at the back explains how author-illustrator Loren Long got the idea for the book and shows how he built a model of buildings and landscapes to aid in the creation of his art and its many vantage points. The Yellow Bus may inspire kids to notice and think about things in their environment that have been there a long time and contemplate their origins and what might become of them in the future.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about change through time as shown in The Yellow Bus. Can you think of something where you live -- a building, a car, a store -- that makes you wonder about where it came from and how it or its purpose has changed over the years?

  • What do you think of the author's choice to have the yellow bus be the only color on many of the pages, standing out against a gray background?

  • In a note at the back, the author explains that his idea for the book came from passing an abandoned, broken down old school bus and wondering what its story was. His curiosity led to his inspiration for art and storytelling. What are you curious about?

Book Details

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