A story to step inside

The Bus That Only Went Backwards

By Theo

It starts with a little idea…

Theo (child)“Bus goes backwards. Beep beep. He can’t go that way.”
Parent“Where’s he going?”
Theo (child)“The park. Oh, teddy. Go back for teddy.”

An imagined conversation between Theo, age 3, and a parent.

Benny only goes backwards. Kit has a plan to reach the park, but Rue discovers someone is missing.

Age 3

Back cover. Benny only goes backwards. Rue wants to reach the park with her picnic and her little red bear.

But where has Bear gone?

A gentle rhyming adventure about a different way to get there.

The Bus That Only Went Backwards. By Theo. Front cover.

Back cover, spine and front cover

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Read the whole story as text

A trip to the park

Rue brought a bun and a little red bear. She waited for Benny in Market Square. “Next stop, the park,” called Kit from his seat. Rue climbed aboard with her lunchbox treat.

The wrong way

Kit turned the wheel. “Now off we go.” But Benny rolled backwards, steady and slow. “Not that way, Benny. The park’s up ahead.” “I only go backwards,” Benny said.

A clever little turn

Kit drove in a circle round Market Square. He pointed the back towards the park over there. “Now backwards will take us there, you know.” And Benny rolled backwards, steady and slow.

Something was missing

Past the tall clock and the baker’s door, Rue checked her bag, then checked once more. “My little red bear. He isn’t here.” Her voice grew small. She blinked a tear.

A tiny red spot

Kit stopped the bus. “We’ll look,” he said. Beside the stop was something red. Was it a leaf? Was it a chair? Rue pressed her nose to the window there.

Back for Bear

They backed to the stop, and there sat Bear, on the little bench in Market Square. Rue hugged him close. “You waited for me.” “Next stop, the park,” said Kit. “And tea.”

A backwards picnic

They rolled to the park with Bear on board. Rue ate her bun while the blackbirds explored. “Backwards is different,” she said with a grin. “But backwards brought my bear back in.”

An illustrated example of the experience we are developing. Talebrix is still in development; this book was not printed by the device.