In 2024, the author and illustrator Jakob Strid was awarded the Nordic Council's Children's and Youth Literature Prize for his book 'The Amazing Bus'. It took him fifteen years to write and draw the book. He tells both poetically and seriously about how a group of different animals, from small turtles to lions and rhinos, set out together to find the magical land of Balanka.
The little bear Taku tells about how the gallery of characters in the story builds an enormous, four-story high, 10-wheeled bus. The prime mover behind the project is the cat Spir, whose green fur is due to the fact that he once fell into a barrel of radioactive slime...
An equally important main character is the bus itself, which in addition to its many piston engines has jet turbines and wings. It is all drawn technically quite correctly, which makes the illustrations extra enjoyable for car enthusiasts to study in more detail. It is clear that the author has spent a lot of time looking at and understanding the technology of trucks before putting pen to paper.
The animals' goal in building the imaginative vehicle is to find a flower that can save the sick Timo's life. This results in a trip through wild landscapes, across desolate plains, along a bridge over the North Pole and on to the other side of the world. The experiences along the way range from technical challenges to a meeting with the gods, to flashbacks about how they once tried to fly to Balanka in airships.
The book from the publisher Gyldendal is a small work of art, and can be read with equal pleasure by both children and adults. It is worth every penny.
https://www.gosee.news/loves/illustration for more images
The Fantastic Bus even put on a sold out show at the Royal Theatre of Copenhagen!
Oct 8-Nov 30
Life in Ahnstarr City is not easy for Taku, Spir, and their friends. Their small wooden houses by the harbor are being torn down, and little Timo is seriously ill.
Only the rare saffron lily, which grows in the dreamland of Balanka, can cure him.
When two old Phantom-8 jet engines from a failed expedition 25 years ago are rediscovered, and a plasma generator is brought back to life, Spir has an idea: let’s build a bus and travel to Balanka!
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