The Struggle Bus
Sometimes things are really tough. It’s just too hard. You’ve had enough. Grumble, rumble, bump and roar, The Struggle Bus is at your door!
You can cry, or you can shout, kick and scream or have a pout. Feel your feelings for a bit. Just keep moving—don’t you quit!
This is a must-have picture book for any reader struggling with new experiences and figuring out how to manage emotions.
Debut author-illustrator Julie Koon delivers a lighthearted and relatable picture book about facing challenges as you grow up. Incorporating her experience as an elementary school counselor, Koon uses the accessible theme of vehicles to make this social-emotional concept perfect for the preschool and early elementary crowd. It’s also a great tool for caregivers to start conversations with children about acknowledging difficult feelings.
The Struggle Bus’s lyrical, rhyming text adds a comforting touch to the book, while not downplaying the reality that sometimes life is really hard. From a growth mindset perspective, the story gives the main character space to feel those hard feelings, but also to be open-minded to lots of different solutions. With a concluding reminder that we can do hard things, The Struggle Bus offers a lot: self-discovery, tips for problem-solving, and, mostly importantly, an acknowledgement that we all struggle sometimes, but we shouldn’t get stuck on that bus.
Julie Koon is an author-illustrator of books for children. She is also an elementary school counselor, where she helps kids learn how to navigate their feelings and the big wide world. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and three children. Julie has taken many rides on the Struggle Bus in making this book, and is excited to share it with the world.
