A Bus Called Heaven

A Bus Called Heaven by Bob Graham (Walker Books)
HB RRP $27.95
ISBN9781406334197
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton

Bob Graham is a genius. His books sing to the soul and A Bus Called Heaven is no exception with both the text and illustrations combining to tell an inspiring and uplifting story.

An abandoned bus unites a community that had previously co-existed but not interacted. Young and old, people of all colours and denominations, join together to make the bus the central meeting point of the community. Even the local gang is encouraged to join in and rather than scrawling graffiti across the bus turn it into a work of art. Importantly, part of the settling in of the bus into the community involves the natural world: weeds, snails and birds nesting in the engine.

For me, Bob Graham's books are how the world should be. Importantly, he shows it is how the world could be if only we banded together as one. In A Bus Called Heaven it is Stella 'the colour of moonlight' who helped people believe that heaven was theirs and is something to not give up on easily.

A Bus Called Heaven is endorsed by Amnesty international UK. It is easy to see why.