The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc translated by Yvette Ghione

A young girl in a red jacket catches a bus by herself. Her mum has taken her to the bus stop. The little girl is carrying a basket! Wait a minute - red jacket and a basket - have you made a connection? Can you guess where she is going?

There are all sorts of interesting characters on the bus and as you turn each page you can see their individual stories unfold. One lady (she is a large cat) is working on her knitting, a sloth sits alone quietly asleep, two little school girl rabbits with white socks and checked uniforms step off the bus to go to school, and when the bus goes into a dark tunnel every seems to swap seats.The little girl has her eye on a fox who seems to be a pickpocket.

Here is the bookseller blurb: This is the first time I'm taking the bus by myself. Mum packed me a snack --- and had me bring my sweater in case I get cold.? But Mum likely didn't imagine the adventure her little girl would have as she rides to her grandmother's house in this sweet picture book. While the bus is taking her down the streets, through a forest and into a pitch-black tunnel, the little girl encounters an assortment of animal characters who enliven her journey, including a goat who offers her a flower from a bouquet, a wolf child with whom she happily shares her cookies and a fox who attempts to pickpocket a beaver. Adding to the fun are lots of running visual gags, such as the changing headlines on the newspaper that hides one passenger's face, a sleeping sloth who mysteriously appears in different seats without ever having woken up and a nervous-looking turtle whose head and arms pop in and out of its shell. 

The interior of the bus covers each two-page spread, and award-winning author-illustrator Marianne Dubuc uses subtle colours and tiny details to draw in youngsters to the activity happening there. This book offers a potentially multilayered classroom reading experience: there is the terrific main story of the girl's trip, but there are also any number of mini stories playing out at the same time with each of the other characters. It would work beautifully as a jumping-off point for children to do some imaginary storytelling of their own.

Good for imagination and travel, this merry bus ride has glimmers of “Little Red Riding Hood” but is entirely itself. Kirkus

Marianne Dubuc packs every page of this finely crafted and intricately designed work with witty details. The long, narrow trim size provides the perfect vehicle for the multitude of storylines, and mimics the feel of both the bus and the road it drives upon.  Quill and Quire

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. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Sadly this special book from 2014 is now out of print but you are sure to find it in a well stocked library along with other books by Marianne Dubuc.

Up the Mountain

The Lion and the Bird