School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-When a long-necked dinosaur serves as the bus, none of the kids want to miss school. Though everyone loves Gus-the city even builds a special road just for him-the principal finally tires of complaints about him knocking down traffic lights and getting tangled in phone wires and removes him from the road. Relegated to the school gym, Gus makes a swimming pool with his tears and finds a new life as the school's playground, with a swing on his tail and his long neck serving as a slide. In tone and visual details, this gentle story is reminiscent of Syd Hoff's classic Danny and the Dinosaur (HarperCollins, 1958). Lynn's scratchy, childlike watercolor and pencil cartoons have a daydreamy quality that suits Liu's simple text. Gus's story holds universal appeal; even a dinosaur can learn to turn lemons into lemonade.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Liu begins with the high points of a unique student transport system: "Who needs a bus stop when you have a dinosaur bus? Gus comes right to the door." Attendance improves, too: "Nobody sleeps late or pretends to be sick. They can't wait for Gus to arrive." But there are problems, as Lynn's goofy, childlike drawings show. "Lately, the school is getting more and more complaints.... The bills to fix the things Gus has broken are piling up." At last the principal has to shut the dinosaur bus down, and Gus is brokenhearted until the children discover that he makes an excellent living playground. Lynn's scrawled figures convey a surprising amount of feeling, as when the harassed principal is shown a photo of some new damage Gus has caused and hangs his head in despair. Liu focuses less on Gus as a character and more on a lighthearted examination of dinosaur infrastructure, a lure for kids interested in buses, highways, and big things generally. The ending doesn't quite live up to the initial excitement, but it's still a promising outing from this Taiwanese duo. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
