She understands the complexity of apparent simplicity. She knows how important buses are. They can be an important part of daily life at a certain age. Ellis tells the story of Claire, who is certainly old enough to put in her own ticket. She seems to be riding the bus by herself.
Repetition is one reason buses are fun.
People keep getting on and people keep getting off and you never know who will be next, but Claire stays on and helps the driver. She knows what is at each street. Finally, Claire's mum gets on the bus and kisses the driver who turns out to be Claire's dad. Illustrator Ruth Ohi echoes Ellis's wonder in the variety and detail of life on and off the bus in her happily coloured mixed-media paintings. Readable and colourful, the story brings up a lot of thoughts rare for a book intended for a young audience.