PICTUREBOOK
We Live in a Bus
Published 2024 by Thames&Hudson Australia
CBCA Picture Book of the Year Shortlisted 2025
Selected for the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf Bologna Ragazzi Award 2025
We live in a bus. She’s called Gracie Joy Rufus Bean (we couldn’t agree on a name).
Gracie Joy Rufus Bean has six wheels and a door that opens when you push a button, tic-shhh!
Gracie Joy Rufus Bean has six wheels and a door that opens when you push a button, tic-shhh!
Life is full of surprises when you live in a bus. Everywhere is your home and every day brings something new. Join one family as they enjoy life on the road – camping under the stars, listening to nature, and making new friends along the way.
The beginning
The inspiration for We Live in a Bus came from travelling around the Australian outback towns of Winton, Hughenden and Richmond (commonly known as the Dinosaur Trail) in a Toyota Coaster bus in 2022. During the trip I was talking with my agent, Annabel Barker, about creating a new book (for which I didn't have any ideas) and Annabel said "why don't you write about your adventures on the road?" So the idea was born.
The inspiration for We Live in a Bus came from travelling around the Australian outback towns of Winton, Hughenden and Richmond (commonly known as the Dinosaur Trail) in a Toyota Coaster bus in 2022. During the trip I was talking with my agent, Annabel Barker, about creating a new book (for which I didn't have any ideas) and Annabel said "why don't you write about your adventures on the road?" So the idea was born.
I started putting together a list of all the things I’d experienced during the journey, from swimming in freezing waterholes and sleeping under the stars to playing on a musical fence in a small outback town called Winton. Queensland wildlife featured prominently in my notes, too; Lizards, dragonflies, flocks of budgies, red-tailed black cockatoos, frogs and baby emus... I could go on. Before long I had more than enough material to fill a 32 page picture book, in fact I had so much that I could have written two books.
From there the story and the characters developed pretty quickly. My approach was to try and bring a sense of curiosity about the world to every page and I wanted to show the amazing tapestry of life that connects us all. For me, We Live in a Bus is a celebration of the land and all the creatures that live on it.
I worked closely with Clair Hume and Fay Helfenbaum from Thames & Hudson, who helped pull it all together. I can’t thank them enough for their guidance and support.
The Characters
They always start out looking funny but as I continue to draw them they start to develop and come to life on the page. It's a strange process, in a way it feels like they are born onto the page and have a life of their own.
They always start out looking funny but as I continue to draw them they start to develop and come to life on the page. It's a strange process, in a way it feels like they are born onto the page and have a life of their own.
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is the process of creating rough sketches of what the spreads will look like. They are great for exploring composition before diving into the final illustration. Character placement, composition, sizing and perspective can all be tested and tweaked before moving to the final illustration. Below are some of storyboards that helped define a few of the spreads in the book.
Storyboarding is the process of creating rough sketches of what the spreads will look like. They are great for exploring composition before diving into the final illustration. Character placement, composition, sizing and perspective can all be tested and tweaked before moving to the final illustration. Below are some of storyboards that helped define a few of the spreads in the book.
