The Yellow Bus

March 18, 2024
This thought-provoking story by Long (Never Forget Eleanor) models how a cast-aside object might endure. A spectacular aerial opening spread shows the yellow vehicle of the title as a single spot of color moving through a rural village in a river valley. In its earliest iterations, the yellow bus takes children, then older citizens, “from one important place/ to another.” Later, the parked vehicle shelters unhoused individuals in a quiet spot under a city bridge, then becomes a domicile for a herd of country goats and, following a landscape altered by construction, offers sanctuary in another, quite unexpected, place. In each new role, the individuals that inhabit the bus “filled her with joy.” Grayscale landscapes are rendered in sculpted and shaded pencil work, while the bus and the beings within it are painted in brightly colored acrylics, an effect that visually highlights the vehicle’s relationship with its inhabitants and surroundings. It’s a saga that paves way for discussions about utility and repurposing, social and structural priorities, change over time, and more. Human characters are shown with various skin tones. An author’s note concludes. Ages 3–6. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

Starred review from March 15, 2024

K-Gr 2-What happens to the objects around us after they leave our lives? This bittersweet tale evokes Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House as it traces the long life of a yellow school bus. Starting with her intended purpose (the bus, though inanimate, is gendered) of taking children to and from school, as she ages, her purpose changes: she takes older folks to the library, becomes a gathering place for the unhoused, then a playground for goats, until at last she ends up at the bottom of a lake. The illustrations dazzle. In most spreads, the background is black and white, in graphite and charcoal pencil; the bus is painted in bright yellow acrylic paint, drawing the eye and emphasizing the joy of the bus (a repeated refrain in the text). When all hope seems lost, and the bus is in an empty urban lot, the color palette switches and readers view the inside of the bus as black and white, while the background is lit up with the yellows, oranges, and purples of a beautiful sunset. Finally, as the bus is fully submerged, there is a bird's-eye view of a small but strong yellow glow of the bus underwater, still shining amid black and white surroundings. The author's note at the end, describing how the art was made, is not to be missed, and could lead to interesting activities around making a paper village.VERDICT A must-purchase, this book will leave readers looking at objects around them differently long after its covers are closed.-Kadie Seitz

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2024
A front-seat view of a school bus's long and varied life. Deftly invoking the anthropomorphized objects in books of old (as in the works of Virginia Lee Burton), Long introduces readers to a small town and the yellow bus that serves it. Using charcoal and graphite, the author/artist portrays a mostly black-and-white world; he relies on colorful acrylics to depict those who enter the bus (who's described with female pronouns), including children ferried to school. Time goes on, and the bus is repurposed to take the elderly around town. Later, she's abandoned near an overpass but finds a new role sheltering unhoused people. Finally, she's taken to a farm, where she becomes a playground for goats. With each iteration, we hear the sounds of her passengers, human and otherwise, and the repeated phrase "And they filled her with joy." At long last a damming project leaves her underwater, but fish find a home in the bus and make her happy. A final view of the town displays a single wavery point of yellow visible beneath the water. Backmatter explains both Long's inspiration and the model town he made as a visual aid. Though this is a tale of decay over time, the book's gentle narration, fun sound effects, and empathy grant the old vehicle dignity in her deconstruction. Characters are diverse. A steady paean to time's passing and the pleasures found along the way. (Picture book. 3-6)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 1 *Starred Review* Tracing the passage of a bright-yellow bus through the many seasons and iterations of her life, this lyrical picture book is an emotional ride. At the start of her journey, carrying children to school fills the shiny bus with happiness and exuberant sounds of "pitter-patter, pitter-patter, giggle, giggle-patter." After a while, the vehicle heads out on a different path and transports seniors "from one important place to another." In her sunset years, the bus finds herself parked and abandoned in a city. However, it's not the end of the road for the Yellow Bus, as she becomes a welcome refuge from the cold for unhoused people. When towed to a farm, she provides a rumpus-room playground for goats. In her final resting spot, underwater, the Yellow Bus is never empty or alone as schools of fish swim on board, "and they filled her with joy." Long's impeccably detailed charcoal-and-graphite illustrations capture stunning panoramic and aerial views of the changing landscapes through the decades. Brilliant pops of color illuminate the bus and her passengers. Back matter offers a glimpse into Long's inspiration and artistic process. A moving contemplation on the passage of time, The Yellow Bus skillfully drives home the joys of a well-lived life of purpose.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2024
Long's poignant picture book about a school bus is a meditation on the passage of time while finding purpose in all seasons of life, in the tradition of Virginia Lee Burton. "There was once a bright yellow bus who spent her days driving" passengers (first school children, then elderly people) "from one important place to another. And they filled her with joy." Eventually abandoned under a bridge, the bus becomes a resting spot for unhoused persons. One morning she's towed away and left in a field near a river, where the bus becomes a playground for a herd of goats. When the river floods the valley, fish take up residence. The striking grayscale graphite- and charcoal-pencil illustrations (with "charcoal dust...scratched out with X-Acto blades and smudged with Q-tips") feature color, done with acrylic paint, occasionally; the school-bus yellow of the protagonist is all the more eye-catching for it. Bird's-eye views alternating with partial closeups help steer viewers' emotions along with the narrative in witnessing and understanding the beauty of service to others. The book concludes with the story of the abandoned school bus that sparked Long's imagination, along with his techniques for creating a 3D paper mini-town in which to place the bus as a model for his illustrations. Christina Dorr

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2024
Long's poignant picture book about a school bus is a meditation on the passage of time while finding purpose in all seasons of life, in the tradition of Virginia Lee Burton. "There was once a bright yellow bus who spent her days driving" passengers (first school children, then elderly people) "from one important place to another. And they filled her with joy." Eventually abandoned under a bridge, the bus becomes a resting spot for unhoused persons. One morning she's towed away and left in a field near a river, where the bus becomes a playground for a herd of goats. When the river floods the valley, fish take up residence. The striking grayscale graphite- and charcoal-pencil illustrations (with "charcoal dust...scratched out with X-Acto blades and smudged with Q-tips") feature color, done with acrylic paint, occasionally; the school-bus yellow of the protagonist is all the more eye-catching for it. Bird's-eye views alternating with partial closeups help steer viewers' emotions along with the narrative in witnessing and understanding the beauty of service to others. The book concludes with the story of the abandoned school bus that sparked Long's imagination, along with his techniques for creating a 3D paper mini-town in which to place the bus as a model for his illustrations.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)