Russ the Story Bus is a mobile library that visits primary schools around Western Sydney, regional New South Wales[1] and the Australian Capital Territory.[2][3] It is managed by the Sydney Writer's Festival.[4]
Russ began as a way for Australian children's authors and illustrators go to the schools sometimes to give talks in places they would not usually visit.[1]
Children can pick a book to take home for free.[1]
Russ was originally a school bus, and was remodelled into a mobile library in 2014.[1]
Russ has headphones for children to listen to audiobooks.[5]
Since 2014, Russ has visited over 57 schools and over 10,000 students.
Russ is over 35 years old, and has experienced wear over time, and will likely need to be replaced by 2026.[1]
In 2016, Russ featured art on it's outside by author and artist Shaun Tan.[6] As of 2024, the exterior outwork features art by Cheryl Orsini.[7] The interior of the bus was designed by the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) and used 580 pieces of curved plywood.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Condren, Tiarna (2025-02-24). "Russ the Story Bus inspires love of reading in kids". Australasian Bus and Coach. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ Musa, Helen (2018-11-19). "Arts / 'Russ the bus' drives children to read". Canberra CityNews. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ Newsroom (2018-11-19). "Hop aboard the story bus". www.southernhighlandnews.com.au. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Feszczuk, Emily (2019-10-22). "Students get on board with reading • The Western Weekender". Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Students share their stories to document western Sydney's changing face". ABC News. 2015-11-02. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "It's story time with Russ the Bus". ABC News. 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ "Russ the Bus Wrap Designs". Leading Hand. Retrieved 2025-05-29.
- ^ Russo, Carolina (2016-01-20). "Russ the Bus". ARQA (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2025-05-29.