MAISY'S BUS

Mouse Maisy drives a green bus to the beach.

The Go with Maisy series continues with this board book and the concurrently published Maisy’s Sailboat. Both books involve Maisy driving a vehicle and picking up friends along the way. The rounded, die-cut book is unusual and pleasant for little readers to hold, making this an excellent read for car or bus rides (though possibly not when out on a sail). As Maisy drives her bus through her town she picks up Tallulah, Dotty, and other friends described by bold, black, childlike text. The stylized illustrations with a primary color palette fill the double-page–spread illustrations with cute, black-outlined images that will engage young readers, especially fans of the white mouse and her pals. The text offers some vocabulary that’s potentially new to readers. Dotty is “the first passenger”; in the final scene, the text crows that “they’ve arrived!” While neither book is an essential addition to the toddler library, both are agreeable-enough reads.

Another solid, engaging piece from Maisy and Co.