Books to the Museum

The Museum Trip

A transport museum is a great place to visit and spot some old modes of transport, learn a bit of history, and spot an old bus or two.

A good place to find a bus storybook.

Over the years my books have appeared in bookshops, local libraries and museums.

Some of my books have gone to Ipswich, Manchester, the London Transport Museum, Brooklands, Liverpool, Oxford, Crawley and now the Isle of Wight.

Mobile Projects

Pre-covid I intended to visit some different mobile projects as well as Playbuses.

Ipswich

I visited the Ipswich Playbus and loved the friendliness of the project. Of course, it provided a great place for little visitors to play, it was fantastic to see them enjoying the converted Playbus. 

Hackney

I’ve also visited Hackney Playbus, who as one of the oldest projects going was celebrating their 50th birthday (Not with the same bus of course). Their bus and conversion have been updated and improved over the 50 years.

Both of these projects, and many others, highlight how valuable a mobile project can be.

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight once had a project helping homeless people on the island, but I never found it.

I did find the Bus and Coach Museum, so I had to pay a visit.

I was in contact with the museum recently and was pleased to hear they were keen to know about my story books.

Samples were sent, museum price deals offered, and now twenty-two books were ordered for a summer of fun at the museum.

Ten colouring books and two each of six of my published storybooks.

An enthusiastic phone conversation lifted my spirits and inspired me to write the following poem.

The Museum bus trip

Where is Jay-Jay off today?

Over the water not far away.

To visit a museum on the Isle of Wight.

He’ll take some friends and stay overnight.

Five big buses drive on the ferry

The sun is shining they feel so merry.

Onto the ferry, the five buses go

Driving carefully and extra slow.

The ferry sails off and begins to sway

Five worried buses begin to pray.

They needn’t worry they’re in safe hands

As off they drive onto drylands

With a few playtime rhymes to share

They’re looking forward to getting there.

Meeting children and seeing them smile

It’s certainly worth every mile. 

Meanwhile, Maggie went another way

To Brooklands Museum to join their play.

Ipswich with Dennis and Maggie too

A Playbus journey is fun to do.

Keep going the Playbus seems to say

A converted bus is a cosy place to play.

Jay-Jay and his Island Adventure 

The story about the Island Adventure is based on a bus in Scotland which travelled on a very small ferry. He bumped his bottom getting on the ferry. 

I think the ferry to the Isle of Wight is bigger that the Ferry to the Shetland Isles but hopefully he will be careful getting on.

Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus

The following day my original story book appeared on a lovely blog post with Smorgesbord online Magazine.

‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus’ was the original name of the playbus project which not only started my writing journey but always seems to come along and beep me forward.

It certainly seems that Jay-Jay seems to say, “Keep Going!”