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Morgan and Class 3
Follow That Bus
What starts as an ordinary school outing turns into a madcap adventure for Class 3 when forgetful Miss Beaver accidentally switches her holdall with that of some bank robbers! The whole class is soon involved in a cops and robbers chase across country but emerge victorious when they capture the baddies!
112 pages, Paperback
First published December 27, 1987
3 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Pat Hutchins
126 books65 followersPat Hutchins is an English illustrator and writer of children's books.
She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.
She won the 1974 Kate Greenaway Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. The work was The Wind Blew, a picture book in rhyme which she also wrote. It shows how "a crowd of people anxiously chase their belongings" in the wind.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 23, 2018
Pure Gold.
September 18, 2021
When a school outing collides with escaping bank robbers, a riotous adventure ensues.
September 16, 2014
Follow That Bus! tells the story of Class 6 and their field trip to a nearby farm. However the class teacher Miss Beaver accidentally leaves her bag on the number 24 bus and thus the school bus has to chase after the regular bus. However upon boarding the number 24 bus, two bank robbers high-jack the bus and drive off taking Miss Beaver with them. The police then jump on board the school bus and tell them to "Follow that bus!"
It isn't long before they find the bus parked at the side of the road and the robbers have fled, but luckily Miss Beaver and the driver are safe. From here they admirably continue their field trip to the farm. However upon arrival its becomes quite clear that there is something odd about the farmer and his wife.......
As a child I found this book absolutely hilarious, yet reading it now I have no idea why. Most of its humor is very dated and there are some references and terms from the 1970's (when the book was written) that even I don't understand.
Even the way that it portrays certain characters and settings feels dated. An example being that there is only a single female character in the book who isn't a child (Miss Beaver) and she is absent minded and always getting lost and into trouble. She always ends up having to be saved by either the school bus driver (Mr Coatsworth,) the children or the police ( what a great, positive, female role model.)The two criminals have no personality asides from being dumb and ugly and I'm not even going to go into too much detail about how the fox hunt helps save the day. Just be aware that its happens.
As for the children I really can't remember to much about them, which just shows how forgettable they are as I only just finished reading the book a few moments ago. Their all just given a name and a single character trait such as Dominic the one who can see really far and Avril the one who likes the bull on the farm. We aren't even given a description of the children, they all just blend together and become almost like a hive organism. A large group of people all merged into a single character. The children.
Looking at some of the illustrations, upon closer inspection they really aren't done to a professional level and seem as though anybody could have drawn them with a ball-point pen. This is due to the fact that the books authors got her husband to draw the pictures for her (who may or may not be a professional illustrator.)
To be honest the book has not aged well at all and has practically disappeared altogether from most library's and book stores. The only reason I still own a copy is because of a children's literacy module I did as a postgraduate and this book submerged from the back of my subconscious. I then found a very cheap copy of it from the dark side of the internet, and it turns out to be the one from a library in Northampton (that some child has written all over.) So its clear that this book has all but been forgotten. And the main reason for it is pretty much because it feels so old and dated. There is no character developmental, no real story. Its all just a bunch of things that happen. Which is such a shame because I really enjoyed the book as a child and it was one of my favorites (at least until I forgot about it.)
If this was the 1970/80's the appropriate age range for this book would be early key stage 2/ late key stage 1. As its a pretty basic story and has a lot of pictures. However I can't really recommend it for any age group in a modern classroom environment.
In the classroom this book is best left at the back of the bookshelf, in case a child with a vague interest in it wants a simple book to read individually (maybe they'll actually enjoy it.) But asides from this I see little use for it. If the teacher was really desperate they could use it as a stimulate for a chase story in a creative writing lesson. But asides from this its uses are limited.
It isn't long before they find the bus parked at the side of the road and the robbers have fled, but luckily Miss Beaver and the driver are safe. From here they admirably continue their field trip to the farm. However upon arrival its becomes quite clear that there is something odd about the farmer and his wife.......
As a child I found this book absolutely hilarious, yet reading it now I have no idea why. Most of its humor is very dated and there are some references and terms from the 1970's (when the book was written) that even I don't understand.
Even the way that it portrays certain characters and settings feels dated. An example being that there is only a single female character in the book who isn't a child (Miss Beaver) and she is absent minded and always getting lost and into trouble. She always ends up having to be saved by either the school bus driver (Mr Coatsworth,) the children or the police ( what a great, positive, female role model.)The two criminals have no personality asides from being dumb and ugly and I'm not even going to go into too much detail about how the fox hunt helps save the day. Just be aware that its happens.
As for the children I really can't remember to much about them, which just shows how forgettable they are as I only just finished reading the book a few moments ago. Their all just given a name and a single character trait such as Dominic the one who can see really far and Avril the one who likes the bull on the farm. We aren't even given a description of the children, they all just blend together and become almost like a hive organism. A large group of people all merged into a single character. The children.
Looking at some of the illustrations, upon closer inspection they really aren't done to a professional level and seem as though anybody could have drawn them with a ball-point pen. This is due to the fact that the books authors got her husband to draw the pictures for her (who may or may not be a professional illustrator.)
To be honest the book has not aged well at all and has practically disappeared altogether from most library's and book stores. The only reason I still own a copy is because of a children's literacy module I did as a postgraduate and this book submerged from the back of my subconscious. I then found a very cheap copy of it from the dark side of the internet, and it turns out to be the one from a library in Northampton (that some child has written all over.) So its clear that this book has all but been forgotten. And the main reason for it is pretty much because it feels so old and dated. There is no character developmental, no real story. Its all just a bunch of things that happen. Which is such a shame because I really enjoyed the book as a child and it was one of my favorites (at least until I forgot about it.)
If this was the 1970/80's the appropriate age range for this book would be early key stage 2/ late key stage 1. As its a pretty basic story and has a lot of pictures. However I can't really recommend it for any age group in a modern classroom environment.
In the classroom this book is best left at the back of the bookshelf, in case a child with a vague interest in it wants a simple book to read individually (maybe they'll actually enjoy it.) But asides from this I see little use for it. If the teacher was really desperate they could use it as a stimulate for a chase story in a creative writing lesson. But asides from this its uses are limited.
July 13, 2016
A third grade class' field trip to a farm goes horribly awry when their teacher is kidnapped by bank robbers. The class then experiences the adventure of a lifetime. My fifth grade teacher read this book to our class; however, thanks to an ear infection, I missed much of the story. In fact, in my head, I had combined it with the book A Horse for XYZ. Thanks to the helpful folks at BookSleuths, I was able to discover the title of this book as well as A Horse for XYZ. This was a cute little madcap adventure set in the English countryside. Funny, what little I recall from it seemed a lot scarier at age 10 than it did 30+ years later. I can see its appeal to youngsters, though. I have a feeling my nephew will like it.
May 14, 2012
This is another re-read from my childhood, and I was interested in finding out if I enjoyed it as much as an adult as I did as a kid. Surprisingly, I did! Hutchins does a good job of writing a fun (short) story, creating memorable characters, and making the plot exciting without being over-the-top. I first read this when I was about 8, and the age still seems appropriate to me. If you look for a copy of this book, it will have to be used as it is, sadly, out of print.
January 13, 2011
If you like a children's story that is silly and zany, with lots of action, this book is for you. My second graders love the suspense of chasing robbers, and laugh out loud at the absentminded, forgetful teacher and how her antics lead to additional adventures.
June 30, 2013
Reading aloud a chapter a night to E, 4&1/2, who enjoyed so much we are straight back to chapter one to have the whole thing through again. One from my childhood bookcase at Mum and Dad's house.
December 26, 2022
⭐️3.5. Loved as a child, still funny as an adult. Just an enjoyable read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews