THE BRIDGE IS UP!

Because of the titular circumstance, "the bus can't go"—and neither can six other vehicles, each of which shows up in turn with an animal operator at the helm. "So everyone has to wait," writes Bell (the Dainty Dinosaur beginning readers series), in what becomes the cumulative story's refrain. Notwithstanding the clear blue sky and endearingly ingenuous spring landscape, which appears to be rendered in gleeful blended swoops of crayon and chalk, idling is no one's idea of fun. The animals grip their steering wheels (or handlebars) in resignation and stare into space. Bell and Hefferan (Do You Have My Quack? ) don't try to distract readers from the stasis of their premise. In fact, the pictures emphasize it by alternating between just two perspectives: a side view of the line of vehicles when a new one pulls up, and a head-on view of the entire group (Hefferan cheats the perspective, in keeping with his naïf style). But readers won't be in the least bit bored—thanks to the unusually fresh, cheerful pictures, they'll enjoy watching the line build. When the bridge finally does go down and "nobody has to wait!" the meaning is clear: Sometimes, all there is to do is wait—but it's not too painful, and it doesn't last forever. Ages 2-5. (Mar.)