The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc Jeannette Hulick Dubuc, Marianne The Bus Ride; tr. from the French; written and illus. by Marianne Dubuc. Kids Can, 2015 40p ISBN 978-1-77138-209-0 $16.95 R 5-7 yrs With her basket and red sweater in tow, little Clara is taking the bus to visit her grandmother, and the bus ride (which goes through the forest) provides her with many social encounters with the various animals and people who share portions of her journey. While riding, she receives a flower from a goat carrying a bouquet, shares her cookies with a little wolf in a striped shirt, mysteriously changes seats on the bus (as do many other riders) when it travels through a tunnel, and helps thwart a foxy pickpocket in an overcoat. By the time she arrives at Grandma’s bus [End Page 487] stop, she can rightly claim, “I have so much to tell you.” While the brief stream-of-consciousness narrative in this French import is engaging, Dubuc’s softly shaded illustrations, with textured hatching and cozy linework, truly steal the show, complementing and expanding upon the printed words. Careful comparing of the spreads reveals multiple mini storylines: the interplay between a family of young hedgehogs and a turtle can be followed over several pages, as can the sloth that seems to sleep (but who also somehow ends up changing places in the tunnel). There’s also the human rider whose face is always blocked by the newspaper he/she is reading, the headlines of which change to reflect the various characters that come and go. Further richness is added through the “Little Red Riding Hood” references: a visit to Grandma, a basket and red outerwear, an encounter with wolves. This is a title with which to spend some quality time, and it offers kids proof of the adage that it’s not the destination that’s important but the journey. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois