Author(s): Bob Graham

Picture Books

Could a broken-down bus really bring a whole city neighborhood together? Could it all start with a small girl named Stella?

One morning in front of Stella's house, an abandoned bus appears, looking sad as a whale on a beach. On its front, held up with packing tape, is a hand-painted sign that says Heaven. Right away, the bus brings change to Stella's street when people stop to talk about it instead of rushing by. And as Stella looks past all the empty bottles and cans inside, as she sees the sparrows nesting in the engine, she changes, too. "This bus could be ours," she declares. With a master's eye for finding the magic in the mundane, Bob Graham creates an encouraging story about community -- a whimsical tale about neighbors of all ages and stripes coming together, and about one little girl who comes into her own.