Book Spotlight: The Whales on the Bus by Katrina Charman

by Taryn Alper, MA, CCC-SLP/TSSLD

I purchased The Whales on the Bus, which is a play on “The Wheels on the Bus,” from the First Book Marketplace. First Book is a non-profit that sells books and educational resources at a discount to professionals who work in Title 1 schools. I recommend browsing First Book’s offerings if you qualify for the marketplace because then you stumble upon gems like The Whales on the Bus.

You can also find The Whales on the Bus on Amazon (affiliate link) and at Barnes & Noble.

In all honesty, as an SLP and now as a mom, I too get song fatigue. I’m so glad to have this book that allows a child to sing along to the tune of a familiar song while growing vocabulary with new lyrics. Instead of a song about the parts of a bus, you get a new story about animals using different forms of transportation (e.g., the bees on their skis, the goats on the boats).

With a pre-verbal child, sing along to the song and build vocabulary by pointing out animals, vehicles, and the environment (e.g., mud, water, snow).

For children with first words and combining words, reinforce the actions that the animals are doing and act some out (e.g., ski like the bees). Talk about position concepts such as in, on, up, and down. Clap or tap out the rhythm of the song.

For a child in preschool and up, identify all the creative rhyming pairs such as tiger/glider, baboons/balloons, and llamas/pajamas. Work on saying longer words/phrases such as submarine and loop-the-loop and break down the syllables.

The vocabulary in this book could be your child’s first exposure to animals/items such as baboons and hot air balloons, so don’t expect them to identify an item like that right away without prior knowledge.

Enjoy your zany adventure with the animals!