Gus, the Dinosaur Bus by Julia Lui & Illustrated by Bei Lynn

I had to sneak this one out of E's room tonight.  He's always very curious as to why I'm taking his books away to read on my own, and I could see this discussion becoming an easy and unwanted bedtime distraction. 

Gus, the Dinosaur Bus is a find from the US this past summer.  I originally thought it was a vintage book which is a compliment to the award winning illustrator Bei Lynn. It was actually published in 2013 though it hasn't made much noise here in the UK from what I've seen. This is a shame because it's a sweet story with cool illustrations and E's really taken to it.

Gus is a massive dinosaur who lives in the city (think Clifford the Big Red Dog). He acts as a school bus for all the local children, and it all goes swimmingly until Gus accidentally knocks down a few houses, power lines and bridges.

Under pressure from the police, the school principal has no choice but to relieve Gus of his duties.  Luckily, by happy accident Gus soon finds another role at the school, which has him and the children happy again.  Like I said, it's a sweet story pulled along by funky childlike illustrations with a wonderfully effective range of colours ... just my sort of book. Gus, the Dinosaur Bus is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.