Puppy Bus

by Drew Brockington

Overview

A hilarious back-to-school story from the creator of CatStronauts, Drew Brockington

When a boy and his family move, he has to start all over at a new school—and gets plenty of first day jitters. The teachers will be different, he'll have to make new friends, and he won't even know where the bathroom is!

On the first day, he nervously gets on the bus, only to end up at Puppy School. Everything is strange and different—but at the end of the day, new friends prove that maybe starting at someplace new isn't so bad after all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647007010
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	07/12/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	56 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Drew Brockington is the creator of the CatStronauts series of graphic novels. His first picture book, Hangry, was published by Little, Brown in 2019. He lives with his family in Minneapolis.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2022

A story that’s got all the markers of a classic anxiety dream becomes an amusing balm for hesitant school-goers in Brockington’s deftly comic picture book. The protagonist, a pink-skinned kid with a round-headed, angsty Peanuts mien, isn’t thrilled about starting at a brand-new school: “The teachers will be different. I’ll have to make all new friends. I won’t even know where the bathroom is.” But these worries end up constituting a massive understatement: having somehow boarded the bus to Leroy’s Puppy School, endearingly goofy cartooning reveals, the child is the only human on the premises (even the principal is a dog). The first class covers rolling over, the lunchroom serves kibble, and the toilet is a fire hydrant. But consoling licks from a canine classmate draws the child into the swing of things, and in short order, fetch, puppy piles, and howling seem like the most natural thing in the world—at least until the second day of school. Ages 4–8. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"The ridiculous canine twist addresses familiar new-kid/first-day anxieties and insecurities with humor and understanding. The narrator’s remark that “everything about this school is strange and different” will resonate with anyone who’s been in a similarly disorienting situation."

The Horn Book Magazine

"Recently relocated kids will appreciate the support and humor here, and any kid will giggle at the final page."

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

**STARRED REVIEW**
"Brockington also explores what first days at new schools have in common, whether the students are human or canine: feeling confused, out of place, and lonely until an overture of friendship is extended. . .A fabulous, funny take on the new-kid and first-day-of-school concepts, especially for animal lovers." —Kirkus Reviews

"Recently relocated kids will appreciate the support and humor here, and any kid will giggle at the final page." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A story that’s got all the markers of a classic anxiety dream becomes an amusing balm for hesitant school-goers in Brockington’s deftly comic picture book."—Publishers Weekly

"The ridiculous canine twist addresses familiar new-kid/first-day anxieties and insecurities with humor and understanding. The narrator’s remark that “everything about this school is strange and different” will resonate with anyone who’s been in a similarly disorienting situation."—The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

★ 2022-04-13
A child winds up on the wrong bus on their first day at a new school.

The narrator, who is light-skinned with dark curly hair, isn’t excited about attending an unfamiliar school; things get even worse when it turns out that the bus is filled with dogs. At school, the protagonist tries to find a grown-up, but everyone here is a canine—even the principal—so it’s off to class with the puppies. When the child is feeling down, their seatmate from the bus cheers them up, and when they learn that this school has recess, things really improve. The cartoonish art and simple text offer humor on many levels, from bathroom jokes (the bathroom stall contains a fire hydrant) to witty background details (a poster of the food pyramid depicts a pile of bones). Brockington also explores what first days at new schools have in common, whether the students are human or canine: feeling confused, out of place, and lonely until an overture of friendship is extended. The child’s expressions shift from freaked out to grossed out to blissed out as they lie in a pile of puppies at recess. The child comes home happy, ready to return to puppy school tomorrow, but of course there’s a twist ending that will have readers laughing again. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fabulous, funny take on the new-kid and first-day-of-school concepts, especially for animal lovers. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews