CANTALOUPE AND HONEYDO TAKE THE BUS
From the Can Do series
by Mike Boldt ; illustrated by Mike Boldt
It’s time for school, but first, repressive Cantaloupe has to school fun-loving HoneyDo on proper bus etiquette.
Genuinely clueless young humans would do well to pay attention as Boldt starts with the basics: “It’s big and yellow and we wait to catch it.” “But I didn’t bring a net.” Once aboard, HoneyDo continues to receive instruction—beginning with how to share a seat without squashing or crowding one’s neighbor and going on to learn that it’s not OK to wrestle or play tag, but engaging in thumb wars, sharing a book, and enjoying a rousing rendition of “The Wheels on the Bus” are acceptable activities to fill time spent on the road. Boldt draws big, googly eyes and pipestem limbs on a wide array of bright, fresh-looking, photographed fruits and veggies riding the bus to school together. Except for a bushy mustache on the smiling watermelon at the wheel, he leaves out gender markers. Hopefully Cantaloupe’s lessons will stick better than the chewing gum under the seats that HoneyDo loudly identifies as “snacks”—a moment that will definitely leave readers rolling in the aisle.
Important lessons for younger riders to chew on, with a deliciously gross twist for a capper.
(Picture book. 5-7)