A Bus Called Heaven Synopsis
One morning it appeared, out of nowhere, sitting right outside Stella's house - a broken, old bus. On the front of it, held up with packing tape, is a hand-painted sign that says, Heaven. How did it get there? Everyone wonders...but no one knows. Then, out from the shadows steps Stella, normally so shy.
She climbs onto the bus and, in a moment, sees everything that it could become: This bus could be ours, she says. And so the lonely old bus - with the help of some colourful graffiti - becomes a hub of activity. People come together to hold meetings, play games and share stories; sparrows nest where the engine used to be and snails make their little homes under the tyres. But one day a tow truck arrives and threatens to take away not just the bus, but everything that everyone has worked so hard to create.
This is a beautiful story about friendship, the strength of community and a little girl who finally comes into her own. Bob Graham's books have sold over two million copies worldwide and A Bus Called Heaven is endorsed by Amnesty International UK.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781406334197 |
| Publication date: |
2nd February 2012 |
| Author: |
Bob Graham |
| Illustrator: |
Bob Graham |
| Publisher: |
Walker Books Ltd |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Suitable For: |
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Bob Graham Press Reviews
'Graham's books bubble with good humour and the knowledge that there are many ways of looking at the world provided you keep an open mind.' - The Guardian
“A Bus Called Heaven is a gorgeous book about the human qualities of kindness, compassion and community activism, all of which are vital to for our human rights to flourish. Bob Graham is second to none at encouraging readers, however young, to empathise with others.” – Nicky Parker, Amnesty International UK
About Bob Graham
Winner of the Kate Greenaway and Smarties Gold Medals and the Australian Children’s Book of the Year Award an unprecedented three times, Bob Graham has written and illustrated many acclaimed children’s books, including How to Heal a Broken Wing and Jethro Byrde, Fairy Child.
Bob Graham lives in Victoria, Australia, with his wife, Carolyn, a printmaker who makes landscapes out of lino and wood. They have two grown-up children, Naomi, a musician and refugee worker living in London, and Peter, an artist in Melbourne making big, beautiful, ethereal paintings in oil. They have two grandchildren, Oliver and his older sister Rosie - and to them he is "Bob" rather than "Grandad" (somehow that name has the feeling of pipes, carpet slippers and rocking chairs; and he's not quite ready for that). He reads them books (mostly other people's and, very occasionally, his own), and they just blob around and go to the park, and things like that. Like a grandad and grandchildren are supposed to do.
As a child
"I lived with my mum, dad, my older sister and my grandmother - and a cat called Smokey. There was still a bit of bush around our suburb, where I could muck about. I could sometimes ride my scooter the entire length of the street in the gutter. There were few parked cars back in those days. I read Boys Own annuals from England, Hans Christian Andersen and Brothers Grimm stories from Europe, and America provided the superheroes in comic book form: Superman, Captain Marvel, The Phantom (the ghost who walks) and even Popeye, who constantly rescued his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, from the clutches of Bluto (all it took was a can of spinach). My course for a lifetime of interesting reading was set."
As an artist
"Every time a computer graphics course is advertised in the local paper, I say, "I MUST go." But I always have something else to do, it seems. So I still use a pen dipped in ink, and chalks and watercolour, and scissors and sticky tape. Oh yes, and sometimes I tap out some words on my computer. And that suits me just fine."
Things you didn't know about Bob Graham
I like surfing and Irish music.
I like the sound of dogs' ears flapping.
I like chillies, coffee, chocolate and reading in bed.
I like Bob Dylan, babies, breakfast and beer.
I like looking out of the window, sitting in the sun and drawing.
I like skateboarders, rock and roll and interesting parcels.
I like family photo albums, train journeys and reunions at airports.
I dislike dog catchers (of dogs just having fun).
I dislike progressive barn dances.
And I dislike bullies.
More About Bob Graham
