I never road a school bus to school, and only ever occasionally road one home from school. But it's hard to deny that a school bus is an icon. Seeing a yellow and black school bus evokes nostalgic memories of back to school, and though it's sad to see summer come to an end—we love back to school season. This list has five favorite school bus books to get you ready for back to school.
Written by Chelsea Lin Wallace
Illustrated by Thyra Heder
New York: Neal Porter Books, 2025. Picture book.
Mr. Jay starts his morning early so that he can pick up the 18 kids on School Bus 3 and get them to school on time. Their route takes them over hills, across the freeway, and over cobblestones. The minutes are counting down as we get closer to 8:05 A.M.—the start of the school day—but bouncing, rhyming text reassures the reader that all's okay "we're on our way!"
Written by Mickey Rapkin
Illustrated by Teresa Martinez
New York: Imprint, 2020. Picture book.
Its the first day of school, and our little protagonist is nervous for his first time on the school bus. He steps aboard and discovers, as the title suggests, a pirate ship. Complete with a friendly captain and good-natured sea shanties, suddenly the ride to school doesn't seem quite so scary.
By Loren Long
New York: Roaring Brook Press, 2024. Picture book.
Nothing captures the nostalgia and poignancy of a school bus quite like this story—told from the school bus's perspective. Mostly black and white illustrations call attention to the bright yellow of a school bus that spends years serving a community in one way or another.
Written by Josh Lieb
Illustrated by Hannah Marks
New York: Razorbill, 2022. Picture book.
If you know "The Wheels on the Bus" then you'll love this sing-songy picture book. When two best friends board the bus to school, they aren't prepared to face up against a monster, a villain, a dinosaur, and a wizard. But they're up to the challenge. This is a silly look at the school bus experience.
By Drew Brockington
New York: Abrams, 2022. Picture book.
What if you accidentally boarded the wrong bus to school? It's something that seems straight out of a nightmare. But what if that bus was actually full of puppies headed to puppy school? At puppy school, the bathrooms have fire hydrants, the classes cover things like rolling and playing fetch, and even the principal is a puppy. It turns out that puppy school is just thing to put our protagonist's mind at ease. Maybe school isn't so scary.
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