School Library Journal Review
It's more than a math problem when there's only one bus to take all the children home from school, but solving it offers plenty of good lessons in subtraction. If a school bus is available, read the book there. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
The regular school bus is in the repair shop, and the substitute bus is too small, so driver Mr. Mathers stuffs the seventy-six students under seats, in overhead shelves, etc. Some readers will enjoy testing their addition and subtraction skills as Mathers (pun intended) loads and discharges kids; others may lose patience with keeping count. The crowded cartoon illustrations feature scared-looking children clinging to the roof of a tottery bus. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
K^-Gr. 2. When the regular school bus breaks down, Mr. Mathers arrives late in the afternoon to load all 76 kids onto a four-seat bus. With nonchalance, endless goodwill, and some outside-the-seatbelt thinking, he places the children under the seats, on the seats, behind the seats, on shelves above the seats, and down the aisle. Finally, he drapes a line of fifth graders over the roof, calling "Lock elbows with the person next to you." The droll text includes lines such as "He slid 2 kindergartners, toes in first, onto each shelf. They were a bit slippery from crying so they fit in quite easily." The cartoonlike illustrations are bold, black line drawings brightened with cheerful colors. Mr. Mathers counts, subtracts, divides, and performs other mathematical feats as he sets about his job, but he delivers more laughs than lessons. The sly interpolation of math terms adds to the humor and could conceivably relieve math anxiety. Fun for reading aloud, this book could also serve as a memorable reminder about remainders. --Carolyn Phelan
