The Bub in the Belly

Another firm favourite of Ryan's. Almost every child in Singapore would know this song/rhyme about the wheels on the bus that go round and round, the wipers that go swish swish swish and the windows that slide up and down.

This book was published in 1990 and was illustrated and engineered by Paul O. Zelinsky. Zelinsky is a Caldecott medallist and The Wheels on the Bus is his most well-known work.

The illustrations are fantastic. They are realistic in that the various commuters on the bus are depicted doing all sorts of different things and there are little sub-stories going on - there is the boy with a box of playful kittens, there is the young man with a guitar, a motorcyclist and her runaway puppy, etc.

Of course, the greatest thing about this book is that it is a "movable book" - there are tabs to pull, wheels to spin and flaps to lift. Ryan goes all through the "activities" and he never misses a flap/tab. I sing the song everytime we read this book and he just loves it, he never rushes through.

We introduced this book to Ryan when he was a few months old and lots of flaps are torn up now, which I just love to see! Watching Ryan examine the book with such interest and seeing him investigate how the flaps work brings a smile to my face and I'm happy that the book manages to thoroughly engage him. I'll gladly patch it up over and over again and I'll happily buy another one if I have to. This book is definitely a keeper.