The Struggle Bus
by Julie Koon
“Grumble, rumble, bump, and roar - the Struggle Bus is at your door”

This is a delightful and impactful book that validates children’s feelings and helps them understand and deal with them in constructive ways while reassuring them that struggle is part of life and persistence will pay off, but perhaps not right away.

The child who is struggling and “..losing hope. You’ll never get it. No way. Nope.” climbs aboard the bus, and the story follows both the interior experience of the child and the journey of the Struggle Bus. The evocative illustrations reflect the rhyming text and evolution of the story, through the struggles (“all of us have been there too”) of the child to persevere and the bus traveling through storms, breaking down, getting support, and moving on.

The “Keep rolling on” and “When your bus breaks down” sections at the end relate to the child’s experience, including strategies for dealing with difficult feelings and situations. The explanation of perseverance is helpful as is the idea that every time you try, you are building stronger “roads” in your brain.

Highly recommended, especially for parents and teachers of sensitive children who are easily discouraged, and those with special needs.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review ( )

Struggles are always difficult, whether we are a child, or an adult. Things are hard, and we can rapidly be overwhelmed by feelings and emotions. For children, it can be extremely difficult to put a name on those experiences. By giving struggles the shape of a bus, Julie Koon brings awareness to mental healthcare and helps younger persons to identify it. As young readers can see in the book, everybody has their own personal bus, creating empathy and understanding that they are not alone in their struggles and can share them with others.

“Sometimes things are really tough.
It’s too hard. You’ve had enough.
Grumble, rumble, bump and roar,
the struggle bus is at your door !

You can cry, or you can shout,
kick and scream or have a pout.
Feel your feelings for a bit.
Just keep moving- don’t you quit !”

Julie Koon’s words and illustrations are beautiful. She describes beautifully the ups and downs of life. Children will easily identify with the young character, and will love the poetry of the book. ( )