On Our Way with Mr. Jay

K-Gr 2–A little piece of picture book magic can be found in this slice-of-life portrayal of the role of a bus driver in the community school ecosystem. In rhyming couplets the text navigates the tumultuous, joyful, complex yet ordinary day of dedicated bus driver Mr. Jay, who is white, bearded, and balding with salt-and-pepper hair. The protagonist serves by turns as an inspector, a surrogate caretaker, an animal wrangler, a skilled improviser, a safety officer, and a one-man search and rescue team—a complex hero. Older readers may be dazzled by the humility and dignity of Mr. Jay’s role in commanding his vehicle and charges to school and home. Younger children will simply enjoy the action and the humor or the familiarity of some of the feelings and situations a school bus ride evokes along with the sing-song meter and cadence of the text. Wallace’s sturdy writing contains plenty of alliteration and rhyme and delightful language, but never distracts from Heder’s expressive illustrations that brim with energy and humorous candor.