🌟The Toy Bus
✒️Amy Sparkes
🎨Katie Hickey
📚@walkerbooksuk – kindly sent for review
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The Toy Bus – The Repair Shop TV Series
Have you watched The Repair Shop on TV? Does it turn you into a blubbering wreck at the end – it does me. If you haven’t watched it I’d really recommend it as wonderful viewing. The Toy Bus is based on the series. It’s the second book, the first being The Christmas Doll.
When The Toy Bus arrived it was snaffled away quickly by Floss to read. She then came and told me it was the perfect book for me as I love to mend things.
Make Do & Mend
I’m not sure ‘love’ is the right word but I do get a real sense of satisfaction restoring something back to what it once was. It’s something that’s been passed down through the family.
My Nan could have been the original poster girl for ‘Make Do & Mend’ what that woman couldn’t do with Duck tape and an elastic band wasn’t worth knowing about!
Did you know Duck tape was created in 1942 and used in WWII and elastic bands even earlier in 1845! Love knowing random things like that (thanks to my Stepdad!!). You can also buy some seriously funky Duck tape now too!
The Toy Bus
The Toy Bus tells the story from The Repair Shop. It’s a fictionalised version that still had me sobbing with joy at the same part I do on the TV show! You can find the true story below.
Publishers Write Up
“Elsie and her little brother, David, love watching the red buses that drive past. David longs to be able to toddle up to see them a little closer, but he has cerebral palsy and finds it difficult to stand. One day, Elsie has an idea to buy David a beautiful, big red bus to play with and encourage him take his very first steps. And now, in The Repair Shop, Elsie hopes that the team can restore the beloved bus ready for her little grandson to take part in the magic of his first steps.” – Walker Books
The Toy Bus Review
The story brings true the magic of childhood. The games children play, the kindness they show such as Elsie raiding her piggy bank when she knew how much the bus would mean to her little brother.
Katie’s beautifully, rich, nostalgic illustrations whisks you back to a time when the toy bus was in its prime and the whole book exudes warmth and love.
The bus finds itself in a much loved state and is ready to be brought back to its former glory through the skills and workmanship of incredibly talented people.
The Toy Bus Extra Features
We particularly liked that you got to read the real story at the back of the book an find out more about the different craftspeople in the story.
We would have loved to have had a little bit of information about cerebral palsy as Floss wanted to understand this a little more, but lovely to see a character with a disability within the book. If you’d like to find out more about cerebral palsy this charity – Action Cerebral Palsy – has a wealth of information.
Toy Hospital
We have a ‘toy hospital’ in our home and if any of our toys have been especially ‘loved’ they head there to be fixed. I’ll often fix toys with Floss so that she learns how to take care of her toys.
The Toy Bus Recommendation
It’s a tear-jerking splendour and we highly recommend for all ages. It would be a brilliant #TeachKidsTuesdays book as the topic of toys often comes up in KS1 looking at comparing past and present. This is an ideal book to explore this further.
