Also, even the pull tabs for the moving parts are integrated in to the illustrations- one is a food, or when pulled it reveals additional text.

As his career progressed, Raffi realized there wasn’t quality recorded music for children. He then recorded and released Singable Songs for the Very Young. After its success, he recognized his fun songs could be adapted into books to help children read. We were given this pop-up book as a gift and in the last week it has become my 17 month old daughters OBSESSION. I read Wheels on the bus at least 30 times this weekend. We keep it up on a high shelf because it is a more delicate book and she will stand in front of the shelf and yell, "Bus! Bus! Bus!" Well, given the song's great potential for annoying adults who find themselves trapped on a bus with a bunch of kids, I can't help but want to tell you all about this catchy little book which is an illustrated edition -- Pete style -- of the song's verses, and a bus full of (mostly) cats. Review: Overall, I think that this is a fun and interactive songbook because children can interact with the story by singing along and by playing with the movable parts. Also, the story can educate children about different forms of transportation if they are unfamiliar with using the bus or children will be able to relate to the song if they have ever rode the bus. Many children will easily be able to memorize the lyrics of the song and be capable of “reading” the book on their own, which will build their confidence in reading.Evaluation of Literary Elements: Perhaps the most important part of this book is the illustrations, they are bright and colorful and have added movement pieces. The plot itself is exciting and fun and provides a different type of story for young readers. The language used in this story is important because it provides a musical tone with sounds that the readers can make. Opening line/sentence: “The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long.” I absolutely love this book. The brush illustrations and the colors used to paint them bring the song to life. The illustrations contain so much detail and have a storyline behind them. The song and adapted book took on another level of fun with the physically interactive parts of the book. Children will have fun learning about the different parts of a bus/automobile.

The Wheels on the Bus' is an anonymous United States folk song dating to the mid-20th century. It is a popular children's song, particularly among pre-teens, in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom and is often sung by children on bus trips to keep themselves amused. It has a very repetitive rhythm, making the song both easy for a large number of people to sing, as well as having the potential to infuriate adults as chorus after chorus drones on, in a manner similar to the song 99 Bottles of Beer. It is based on the traditional British song Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush."Opening line/sentence: The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. The wheels on the bus go round and round all day long. This is a classic song that I can remember singing when I was a kid, and it hasn’t gotten old because it is a wonderful book to teach children how to sing. The specific copy that I got of this book was a big book, which is great because the bus is huge and makes the singing activity even more fun for the children to follow along with. I love how this song book draws children’s attention to sounds like “swish” and “wah,” because it creates a wonderful opportunity to work on phonics with the class. Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book is meant for young readers. It gets the children singing to a tune that may be familiar with them, but with a twist. This is a repetitious song book that goes through different parts of the bus and the corresponding movements or sounds that those parts make; for example the wheels go round, the wipers go swish, the horn goes beep, the parents go chat, the babies go wah, and so on. The illustrations are colorful, and the words repeat for children to easily sing along to. Awards received: This book has received the Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award and the Redbook Award.

Raffi Cavoukianwas born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1948 to Armenian parents. Music and literature were very much a part of Raffi’s own childhood, leading to his interest in learning the guitar as a teenager. In 1970 he began his career as a performer in local music spots and later transitioned to performing music for children. Awards: A Book-of-the-Month Club selection, Bratislava Biennale selection, Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award, ALA Notable Book, and a Redbook Award.

Success!

Review: The pull outs allow children to see the story in a hands-on way while singing along to the book. This will keep children entertained and want to keep rereading the book. The illustrations are vibrantly colorful as well.