The Fairview Review: Virtual Book Tour A Bus Can't Drive Empty

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Bus Can’t Drive Empty: An Alphaballiteration Adventure

Ages: 4-6 | 52 Pages

Publisher: Picture Novels (2025) | ISBN: 979-8992264708

Publisher’s Book Summary: It’s the end of the school day and three zebra friends are taking the school bus home when it runs out of gas, oh no! But when Chris, the bus driver, cleverly thinks of ways to continue on their jubilant journey, they have an adventure through the mountains, in a gondola, on a log, and on a pirate ship. Will the zebras finally make it home?

This vibrant and whimsical story is a fun and silly read-aloud for families and educators of young children, featuring a playful combination of alliteration and alphabet learning, with individual letters used in rhythmic text across each spread.

PURCHASE LINK

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MY REVIEW

This rollicking tale of a mishap on the ride home from school will make the alphabet and alliteration fun for young readers. A group of three little zebras are on the bus after school when the fuel gauge hits Empty. Oh, no! Bus driver Chris is determined to get his passengers safely home, so he rounds up Zea, Zeb, and Zec and off they go. Along their “jolly, jubilant journey” they encounter a gondola ride through the mountains, a log flume, and an overly interested octopus. Even though Chris quickly becomes queasy aboard the ship of Polly Pirate, her protection is better than staying in the clutches of the odd octopus. And everyone does make it home to Zala’s Zig-Zag Zipper Zoo by the end of the book.

Illustrations show three zebras with colorful stripes - one with blue, one with red, and one in the traditional black. (I’m showing my age, but they remind me of cheerful ads for Fruit Stripe gum.) They have alliterative remarks in reaction to each new event. When Chris suggests they hike home, each of them responds - “Huzzah!” “Hurrah!” “Hurray!” And when they spot the log ride from their gondola car, one says, “Look!” Another says, “Lovely!” While the third grumbles, “Lame.” Chris himself is a very dapper driver with warm brown skin, neatly trimmed beard, and spotless uniform. It is hard to believe someone so well put together would forget to gas up the tank! Kids who read this may have fun coming up with their own versions and brainstorming words for each letter of the alphabet for the dialogue and to describe the action.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Davon Miller is an author and illustrator who published his first book at the age of eleven. Starting as a child drawing with crayons, Davon has spent over a decade writing and illustrating children’s books, further allowing his art to inspire children to craft their own stories. Davon holds a B.A. in English for Creative Writing from the University of Central Florida. He became a Sunshine Ambassador for St. Petersburg, Florida, for his philanthropic efforts that support literacy. Davon and his works have been highlighted and included in the Tampa Bay Rays reading program “Reading with the Rays.”

For more information, visit davonmiller.com.

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TOUR SCHEDULE

Week One

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

The Children’s Book Review

Book Review of A Bus Can’t Drive Empty: An Alphaballiteration Adventure

Thursday, July 31, 2025

The Starlit Path