There's a monster on the bus…and a lot more in this take on "The Wheels on the Bus." Angelique, her best friend, Cassius, and all the other elementary school--aged children board the big yellow school bus on their way to school. But today's journey is no ordinary ride. The monster on the bus is just the first of a range of characters who overtake the children on their way to school. After eating the bus driver, the pink, fluffy monster drives the vehicle as it is boarded by a villain (who says, "Earth will pay"), a dinosaur (who roars, "Grr, grr, grr!"), an astronaut (who yells, "Fire main engine!" launching the bus into outer space), and finally a wizard, who chants, "Presto chango!" and transforms the children into monsters themselves. Luckily, Angelique is strong enough to stand up to the invaders and lead the children to take their bus back. The pink, fluffy monster disgorges the bus driver and things go back to normal…kind of. The story is simple and open-ended; many kids will be spurred to come up with their own versions. The illustrations make this a charming read, with endearing, round-headed, big-eyed cartoon characters and lots of details for readers to spot. Angelique is brown-skinned with dark hair, Cassius is light-skinned with red hair, and their classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Young readers will never see the school bus the same way again. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

"Anything could happen on the bus," promises narrator Angelique, a child who reads as Black, at the start of this transportation-centered picture book, and the story delivers, mixing up "The Wheels on the Bus." Lieb employs the song's familiar cadences alongside a series of mural-like cutaway spreads by Marks. After the titular pink, furry monster eats the bus driver and takes their place, an evil scientist and other improbable passengers appear for a mayhem-filled journey en route to school ("The villain on the bus says 'EARTH WILL PAY!' "). Coolheaded Angelique rallies the other kid riders, portrayed with varying skin tones, to demand a return to the quotidian, including regurgitating their bus driver ("The kids on the bus say, 'COUGH HER UP!' "), who, with a little pink slime lingering here and there, is ready for what looks like an equally unpredictable ride home. Ages 4--8. (July)