Axle Annie is not your average school-bus driver. She tells jokes, does magic tricks, and manages to retain her optimism even when snowstorms strike. In fact, the schools there never have a snow day because Annie always assures the superintendent that her bus will make it to the top of Tiger Hill. Enter the villain, Shifty Rhodes. The meanest bus driver in town, he hates his job, especially in winter. Determined to foil Annie, he enlists the help of the new ski-resort owner, Hale Snow. Will a snow machine plus a blizzard keep Annie from delivering the kids to school? Arnold's cartoons add just the right touch of humor to this cross between Virginia Burton's Katy and the Big Snow (Houghton, 1973) and Watty Piper's The Little Engine That Could (Platt & Munk, 1930), with a dash of old-fashioned melodrama thrown in for good measure. The book is sure to be a seasonal hit, especially when hopes for a snow day have been dashed. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.