The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc
Released March 1, 2015.
A little girl sets off on her first bus ride all by herself. Her mother packed her a snack and her sweater too. But this is not a normal bus, with its passengers of rabbits, a bear, a turtle, a mouse and a very sleepy sloth. Stop by stop, the bus picks up and drops off more and more animals. A family of wolves enters the bus at one point and the little girl shares her snack happily with the little wolf. The bus goes through a dark tunnel and everything gets mixed around in the dark, but things are quickly sorted back into some sort of normal. There is even a cunning fox thief that the little girl helps chase off the bus at the next stop. This is one wonderful adventure for a little girl all on her own who has an amazing ride.
First published in France, this picture book celebrates a child traveling on their own. Though the larger animals may seem threatening at first, those fears are quickly allayed by their actions. Even the wolf family acts very appropriately on the bus. There is the thief but again the little girl is empowered enough to put a stop to his shenanigans herself. Children in the U.S. will be astonished at the freedom of this little girl and the trust she is given. They will also love the Little Red Riding Hood ties that are evident in the story.
Dubuc’s illustrations are done in fine lines and subtle colors. That adds to the gentleness of the tale and the feeling that everything is nonthreatening and OK. Subtle things change on each page and children will want time to look closely at the pictures, particularly after the tunnel switches things around.
Warm and confident, this picture book is a friendly introduction to bus rides even though real life ones aren’t likely to have bears, wolves and sloths as part of the community. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
Reviewed from digital galley received from Netgalley and Kids Can Press.
Waking Brain Cells 