Bus Route to Boston

by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

My inspiration for Bus Route to Boston:
I grew up on a bus route in Everett, Massachusetts. As a young girl, I remember frequent Saturday bus trips, which traveled down our street, through crowded neighborhoods, over the bridge, then all the way into Boston. My mother, sister and I went bargain hunting in Filene's Basement, enjoyed ice cream at Bailey's, shopped for vegetables at Haymarket and ventured into the Northend for pizza and cannoli. Through my story and paintings I have shared these warm childhood memories of Boston. BUS ROUTE TO BOSTON is a treasure for anyone who shares these memories, as well as children of all ages who love nostalgic family stories.

From Booklist:
This warm, loving memoir will have plenty of resonance for today's children. Cocca-Leffler recalls what it was like to be young, living just outside Boston, and waiting for the bus to take the family into the city. The ride, with friendly Bill the driver, is lots of fun, but more excitement awaits in the city: a sale at Filene's, where shoppers try on clothes in the aisles; sundaes at an ice cream parlor; a trip to the North End to buy fruit and vegetables; cannoli to eat on the bus ride home. Bill gets a pastry, too, and calls his riders "the Cannoli girls." Even if the particulars aren't familiar, children will know the excitement of visiting a bigger town and going shopping, and recognize the happiness of being back home. The oversize, nicely crowded acrylic artwork, which features two sisters and a sometimes harried mother, is lots of fun. Whether it's two women tugging on the same dress or catching all the delicious details of a North End bakery, the pictures clearly show what make experiences like these such a part of childhood. 2000 Ilene Cooper

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Maryann Cocca-Leffler of NH, is the Author and Illustrator of over
60 books for children. Maryann’s book, Janine (2015) and its new sequel, Janine and the Field Day Finish (2016), were inspired by her daughter, Janine. Together they have developed a corresponding website, www.janinesparty.com with a mission to help change public perception of children with disabilities. Other books include, A Homemade Together Christmas, Bus Route to Boston and Bravery Soup.
Now a playwright, Maryann wrote a play based on her Princess KIM books. Princess K.I.M. The Musical won a National New Play Festival in 2012 and has had sold out performances on the East and West coasts. Princess K.I.M. The Musical is now represented by Stagerights.com, a licensing agency in LA to bring the play National.

Maryann grew up in the Boston area (read Bus Route To Boston!) and attended Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she received a BFA in Illustration. Her very first book, Thanksgiving at the Tappletons’ written by Eileen Spinelli, was published in 1982 and has been re-released in 2015 as a classic. When not in her studio, Maryann is traveling, visiting schools and attending her play.

If you are interested in a school visit, please check out the VISITS link on my website:
www.MaryannCoccaLeffler.com
www.JaninesParty.com
www.PrincessKimTheMusical.com

Reviews

[Vitaliy Vandrovych · Rating 5 out of 5]

It even mentions Filene's Basement

[Erin]

In bus route to Boston the author writes her own childhood memory of a Saturday bus ride which becomes an adventure every week.

The story of the bus ride begins at her door and takes her and her sisters on their weekly visit to Boston. Her mother stopped at Filene’s basement where they gleefully watch her try on clothing in a common “ dressing room.” The trip to an ice cream parlor buying fruits and vegetables from stands and pastry in the North end. The bus driver knows them all by name which adds to the intimacy of the adventure. As it is he who returns them safely back to their doorstep.

The illustrations are of houses both then and now so it is an up to date book and touching to anyone who has ever traveled by bus as a child. It would be wonderful for parents to plan a trip to Boston and share their own childhood memories while creating new ones. *Lillian B.

[Lisa Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recently thinking about this sweet picture book about a special day for a young girl, her sister and her mother. My own daughter is now 13, and when she was a toddler, we read a ton together. Looking back on that time period, I think this was my very favorite book to read with her. The family travels on an MBTA bus from the outskirts into downtown Boston, and enjoys doing a few special errands together, including visiting Filene’s Basement, the butcher and the cannoli shop. The illustrations and story are very well crafted, and both reflected our own life so well, as we lived in a neighboring city to Boston at the time and often took the bus in for the day - wonderful memories I also will always cherish. I very highly recommend this book!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A picture book inspired by the author's childhood memories of living just outside of Boston on a bus route. On Saturdays, the two sisters and mother would take the bus into town for a day of shopping. The author does a good job describing this family routine of shopping for clothes and food. The trip would end with an order of four cannoli that all three would eat on the bus and give the fourth to the bus driver. A sweet story about community and family that would pair well with Matt de la Pena's Last Stop on Market Street.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Boston of this author's childhood seems like a pretty white place.
I think I'm of the wrong generation or the wrong geography or something but this didn't speak to me.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining story that shows a little bit about life in the suburbs of Boston and a young girl's experience of a trip into the city. The narrative is short and the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish.

I love how it depicts a visit to Filene's Basement, which was an institution in the city for many years until it eventually closed in 2011.

I hope someday to bring our girls to Boston to experience Faneuil Hall and some of the other historical and popular places in the city beyond what is mentioned in this book.

[Anne Hennessey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother and her children take a field trip around their neighborhood in Boston. They visit the butcher and bakery and even go to the ice cream parlor for a sundae. This book is a great way to introduce children to the concept of a neighbor and community helpers. It also has the bus driver Bill take the family home after a busy day.
There are plenty of conversations and vocabulary words that can be incorporated with this book.

[Lauralee Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty cute. I liked how it described the girls' experience with the bus and their tradition of going to town with their mother to buy groceries. I think it would be a fun read for kids who aren't used to riding buses or having to shop at different markets like in this story. It would be fun to compare and contrast.

[Kaitlin Moriarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

We determined that this book was a good book due to the illustrations and vocabulary that was presented in the book. It was also a "good book" because it showed the life of a child who lived in Boston, so it was culturally diverse. It showed the MBTA, the North End, etc. So overall it would be a good book for children to read.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat semi-autobiographical story about a girl's weekend trips into Boston with her mother and sister. I liked all the food mentioned especially!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was really sweet, loved all the Boston images. LP wanted to hear more about the bus, less about shopping in the city.

[Ava]

The pictures in this book help support bus systems in the city which can be very unfamiliar to students who have not been in a city. The Illustrations are amazing.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about Boston city life and an Italian family

[Jenn Adams]

Loved it