Oh my – talk about tear-jerking.
Little Cat riding on the big red bus sent me reeling back to childhood when my own father failed to collect me from preschool. I can still feel the heart wrenching terror as all the kids disappeared at the end of the day and I was left sitting with the teacher, the class cat leaping up to tug at my dangling shoelaces.
So I felt the snippet of concern when Little Cat has to catch the bus without her big sister. I felt the slow-growing fear as the bus drains of kids to leave the seats yawningly vacant. I felt the draining terror when Little Cat wakes in the dark bus depot, all alone.
Very quickly, though, I felt the heart-lifting promise of help as the bus driver appears in the darkness. The warmth of the blanket, the safety of the front-seat-special-spot next to the kind driver, the growing hope as home appears on the horizon.
Jane Godwin has penned a gorgeous and timeless story, beautifully complemented by Anna Walker’s truly breathtaking illustrations. Simple, whimsical, heartfelt and something you want to plaster your child’s bedroom walls with, it’s no wonder Walker
I so hope this talented duo get together again very soon – and produce something else to tug so gently and irresistibly at the heartstrings.
Title: Little Cat and the Big Red Bus
Author: Jane Godwin
Illustrator: Anna Walker
Publisher: Puffin, $14.95
Publication Date: 31 May 2010
ISBN: 9780143504122
Format: Soft cover
For ages: 5 – 10
Type: Picture Book
