The Book Bus
by Melanie Moore, Brian Wray
The Book Bus is a wonderful story combining an unbeatable combination of a vintage vehicle and books! It’s written and illustrated especially for the younger set.
The vintage vehicle is Tilly, a 1962 Volkswagen Type II (or Type 2) Transporter pickup. She lives on a farm that’s planted in cherry trees. During daytime she’s busy moving things around the farm. But evenings are her favorite time because the little girl who lived in the farmhouse comes “to Tilly’s barn with just two things—a book and a flashlight . . . Night after night . . . she read books to the little truck.”
After a book had been read all the way through to the very last page, it was placed in a crate in Tilly’s barn. Over time those crates of books became quite numerous. But children grow up and Tilly’s little girl did just that. Plus newer, bigger trucks took over the farm’s hauling work. “Tilly’s days grew quieter . . . She missed feeling helpful.”
One day she had an idea. Tilly turned her idea into action and transformed herself into a vehicle that could share those books in crates in her barn with other children. The townspeople helped too giving “Tilly a special cover to keep her comfy and warm.” And thus was The Book Bus born.
In the illustration on the above pages you are seeing what Tilly saw looking out her windshield as she watched “Some children read the words. Others acted out the stories . . . [in the park that] was suddenly filled with delightful dragons, star-bound astronauts, and even pirouetting panda ballerinas.”
Tilly’s happy story is told by two people, Melanie Moore and writer Brian Wray. All illustrations are the work of Mike Helm using watercolor and pencil on hot-press paper.
The best part of the story is there really is a mobile bookstore that looks just like Tilly. That 1962 Volkswagen Transporter plies the streets of Cincinnati where Melanie Moore sells both adult and children’s books from Tilly and in her nonprofit shop. You can see and learn more about them at cincybookbus.com.
Copyright 2025 Helen V Hutchings (speedreaders.info)
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