All Aboard for the Bobo Road

by Stephen Davies, Christopher Corr (Illustrator)

All aboard for the Bobo Road! Fatima and Galo load the luggage while their dad Big Ali drives the bus. Help count bikes, sacks of rice, melons and even goats and chickens as the bus travels past Gurunsi houses, the hippo lake, waterfalls and jungle, all the way to Bobo. With the authentic setting in Burkina Faso drawn from the author's own experience, this is a wonderfully fun introduction for small children to an amazing culture.

Genres: Picture Books, Africa, Childrens, Transport, Travel, Counting, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2016

Reviews

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful and lively. We really enjoyed traveling along with this bus journey through Burkina Faso. Does a good job of showing the diverse landscape of the countryside as well as the diverse reasons people want to travel to the city and what they will do there. I did note that the GoodReads blurb says that the book is drawn from the author's own experiences so I erroneously assumed he was from Burkina Faso himself, but the cover flap says he is a missionary living in West Africa (and, per his website, he now lives in London) whereas the book is about an actual family native to Burkina Faso. So, if you are looking for a book by an African author, this will not be it. That said, I still think for what it does, for this age group, it is appealing -- it really feels immersive and the author and illustrator include many wonderful details that make the country come alive -- and this will hopefully spark interest in further study of Africa. I highly recommend the work of Atinuke if you want to expand!

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm leaning toward 3.75 for this one, so I've given it a 4. The colorful folk art style really pops off the page, and older preschoolers and early elementary school will enjoy a visit to Burkina Faso, and wish they too could ride past the hippo lake. A good addition to the multicultural book shelf.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burkina Fasa is a landlocked country in West Africa, and the setting for a lusciously colorful bus ride on Big Ali's minibus along picturesque Bobo Road. Accompanied by his children, and the passengers who board the bus at Banfora station, Fatimo and Galo ride atop the bus carefully loading the passengers' luggage and enjoying every minute of their trip. Every doublespread page shows readers the splendor of the scenery in Burkina Falls with colorful patterned homes of various shapes, lots of farm animals, pigs, chickens, goats, and more. One gazes at a river full of active toothy hippos, and prancing flamingos. The repetitive Beep, Beep! will be enjoyed by listeners as famous sites such as Karjiguela Falls, and the Domes of Fabedougou which are 1.8 billion years old, are introduced. As the story takes you through the tour of the dark forest, people board with animals to sell, and then the Grand Mosque appears as the minibus enters the city. Readers will experience an intense curiosity and desire to ride along the Bobo Road to marvel at the natural wonders a plenty too. The bright bold illustrations have a folk art quality, yet depict the beautifully colorful patterned clothing and scenery so meticulously, one learns as much about Bobo Road from the pictures as the lyrical words. A must buy for all elementary libraries.

[Kate Puleo Unger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The colors of the illustrations in this book are so vibrant. The story isn't quite as bright. Galo and Fatima are the children of Big Ali, a bus driver in Africa. They ride atop the bus and help the passengers load their luggage as they board at various stops along the Bobo Road. This book is a counting book to some degree. The luggage comes in increasing quantities: 1-10 and gets more and more odd as the trip progresses. The landscape is beautiful, and Big Ali is bubbly and fun as he announces stop after stop.

This book is advertised as being for children ages 4 to 9, but I think the simplistic story may appeal to the younger end of that spectrum and possibly even younger. I would have put it at 2 to 5. It's a good pick if you're looking to introduce your children to other cultures, but it's not as meaty as I might have liked. Still, it's a cute read.

http://www.momsradius.com/2016/07/kid...

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Burkina Faso, Fatima and Galo travel to town with their dad the bus driver as they pick up a variety of travelers along the way. Vibrant and energetic.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful illustrations of the various bus stops teach wee ones lessons about African geography, culture, and family.

[Daisy May Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been too long since I reviewed a picture book, and so I am indebted to Andersen Press for this review copy of 'All aboard for the Bobo Road'. Written from the author's own experience of life in Burkina Faso, this is a vibrant and rather appealing picture book that tells the story of the bus journey along the road to Bobo. Driven by Big Ali, with his children Fatima and Galo on the roof, the bus picks up a host of passengers on its way and passes through real places in Burkina Faso: Lake Tengrela, the 'hippo lake'; Karfiguela Falls, the Domes of Fabedougou and several other sites, illustrated in lovingly rich and warm detail by Christopher Corr. This is a book of colour; of thickly saturated yellows and golds and oranges; searing greens and vibrant blues. I particularly loved Corr's horizons; great double page spreads of rich blue-green; shadowy palm outlines; tumultous green-edged rainforests with the ever present sun beaming out behind the trees. Pages need ending and finishing and Corr does this so well.


There's something rather deliciously welcome about All Aboard For The Bobo Road. I intensely welcome and actively embrace books that detail the lives of other cultures; far too often, picture books tread a similar path and whilst many of them deliver brilliant and nuanced things in that treading, it is a path that should never be treated as the sole and definitive route. A particular joy about All Aboard For The Bobo Road is its linkage to real world sites, turning this book into something that straddles the borders of fiction and non-fiction. There's a wide world here in this book and it's something that could inspire a lot of craft and activity around it; bus journeys of your own, counting games on the train with people and luggage, making a map of your local area, and so on.

Hidden away in Davies' exuberant and rythmically pleasing narrative of the journey is a counting tale; we are asked to count the different items placed on the bus ranging from watermelons to mopeds (and yes, the amount of the items specified in the illustrations do tally with the text; some slightly picky reviewers, naming no names, do check this sort of thing), and I do love a book with a healthy aural refrain. A picture book lives in two spaces; the visual and the aural, and this has a lovely repeating motif of "Beep, Beep! They're off again!" All Aboard The Bobo Road is such a bright, delicious thing. I rather like it.

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fatima and Galo join their father on his bus route taking the Bobo Road. They help load the luggage at each stop and see amazing sights.

For those who don't know (because the book does not say) the Bobo Road is in the African country of Burkina Faso. Through the travels of the bus, the book gives a tour of some of the famous sights of that country, from hippo watering holes to desert scenes to famous cities. This will definitely be an eye-opener for kids who are not used to this kind of bus transportation. Fatima and Galo get to ride on top of the bus, and the amount and type of luggage that gets added at each stop will raise some eyebrows. There's repeated phrases that will help little ones be able to "read" with someone else. And each stop provides an opportunity to practice counting the things to be loaded on the bus. It's a bright and colorful tour of Burkina Faso readers can take from the comfort of their favorite reading spot.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Age: Toddler-Preschool
Things that go: bus
Culture: West Africa, Burkina Faso

Fatima and Galo travel to town with their dad the bus driver as they pick up a variety of travelers along the way. The bright and inviting illustrations and story provide a buffet of activities to partake in from counting to colors to tracing the route of the bus to hearing the regional words of Burkina Faso. However, sometimes the counting activities can be somewhat challenging as the items may be tightly stacked on top of the bus, making it hard to differentiate them. All in all, a great tale.

[Amy Layton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, multicultural read! It's perfect for a road trip, and allows for the excitement of both the journey and the destination--porque no los dos, right?  Additionally, this book creates a great dialogue about why different people go to the city, as well as the different resources a city might hold.  Furthermore, the illustrations here are so stylized and mesh so well with both the story and the setting.  This is definitely worth a romp.

Review cross-listed here!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Join Big Ali and his children Fatima and Galo, as they take the minibus on the Bobo Road, picking up and dropping off many passengers along the way. See the many different sites as the bus goes through Burkina Faso and count the objects along the way. Fun picture book filled with brightly colored illustrations and nice little cultural introduction to Burkina Faso with traditional clothing on the characters and various places in Burkina Faso featured along the route.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bright, bold illustrations take us on board the bus through Burkina Faso. Young readers will take in all the beautiful sights and sounds on this cultural journey through Western Africa. Children ages four to nine will find something to search and count on every page.

[Karen Looker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations bring this book to life. Following everything that is being added to the minibus with the pictures is lovely and creates a sense of just how busy it would be, but also what beautiful scenes the bus is travelling through.

[Becca Lehew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vibrant illustrations and a simple story that beginning readers will enjoy! A great text to teach the connection between illustrations and text.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun for counting up to ten and back down again; this made me want to visit Bobo road. Love the bright, colorful pictures.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully colourful counting book.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful and fun travel tale through the villages and countryside of Burkina Faso. Reminded me of the drive between Antigua and San Juan Guatemala.

[Bookjeannnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cultures, Africa, bus tours, landmarks, geography, travel, picture book, a day in a life,

[Jenna Mills]

Fun

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this book is set in Burkina Faso and the illustrations of all the beautiful places to see, like hippo lake, are great. It is a counting book also.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and colorful

[Alejandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Travel to another place and befriend a new people. I appreciate the authors note in the beginning explaining this road, and the glossary in the back. My children (5 and 2, living in the United States) enjoyed pulling out a map, and then googling all of the stops. The pictures are so accurate, so colorful, capturing the details. Traveling the Bobo Road with these families, and learning why each has the type of “luggage” they did, being picked up at the locations they did, was an adventure.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked all of the colorful illustrations inside this book, but other than the map, there really was no context for what was going on in this book which was disappointing. Burkina Faso is such a different setting for a picture book from the norm that could have been very informative and interesting.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting introduction to Burkina Faso. It features some of the attractions of the country. One star off because the illustrations look like a child drew them.

[Ashley Moser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very colorful book. Could be used for counting instruction too. Also, this book definitely has culture so there would be good teaching points there.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fatima and Galo help their father load his minibus in preparation for traveling the Bobo Road. The children continue to load the bus as they continue down the road and things get more crowded. Each stop on the road (Lake Tengrela, Karfiguela Falls, Domes of Fabedougou) provides a glimpse into the wildness and beauty of this road through Burkina Faso in Western Africa. The gorgeous illustrations provide a beautiful complement to the text. With the need for more diverse books in children's literature, I was delighted to come across this one. The book provides a glimpse into a way of life and geography very different than the one most children in the United States are familiar with. Books like this one fill an important niche in children's literature, one that I love to explore.

[Vcmc · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely, interesting book. The setting in Burkina Faso comes alive in a way that makes me want to visit. The vivid, jolly illustrations are such fun and the landmarks drawn are so like the real places. My grandson loves tracing the route on the map.

[Jackie]

Professional Support/Diverse Lit Paper resource

[The Book Box]

Mama read this to me the other night.

[Roxanne]

Really love the illustration by Christopher Corr.