LITTLE CARNIVAL 02 • AGES 0–2 • COMPLETE BOARD-BOOK MANUSCRIPT PREVIEW
EMOJI CARNIVAL • LITTLE CARNIVAL

SOUNDS ON
THE BUS

A picture-led sound-and-feelings board book with Courage, Fear, Kindness and Loneliness from the exact 22-character Emoji Carnival world.

Age-band production: written specifically for ages 0–2. Every story page stays at 0–15 words, with repetition, sound imitation, big faces and caregiver interaction. Total story text remains intentionally under 200 words. This is a new toddler manuscript, not a shortened 3–6 book.

PAGE 01

Morning Bus

Bus One wakes up. Beep! Courage hears it.

BEEP!
ART: Blue/white bus at sunrise. Courage looks toward one large horn icon.
PAGE 02

Loud

The horn is loud. Courage blinks. Loud can surprise us.

BEEP-BEEP!
ART: Large sound rings. Courage’s eyes widen but body remains safe and grounded.
PAGE 03

Fear

Fear hears a bang. “Oh!” Fear holds the seat.

BANG!
ART: Bus Two window. A harmless dropped drum mallet makes the sound; show cause clearly.
PAGE 04

Listen

Courage listens. “What made that sound?” Look. Listen. Check.

ART: Courage and Fear look toward the fallen mallet. Simple eye + ear icons.
PAGE 05

Kindness

Kindness taps softly. Tap-tap. “May I sit here?”

TAP-TAP.
ART: Kindness points to an empty seat beside Loneliness, waiting for an answer.
PAGE 06

Loneliness

Loneliness hears the tap. A tiny smile. “Yes.”

ART: Small change in expression only; do not make Loneliness instantly cheerful.
PAGE 07

Rumble

Wheels go rumble-rumble. Four friends feel the floor buzz.

RUMBLE-RUMBLE.
ART: Close-up wheels and four feet feeling a gentle vibration.
PAGE 08

Quiet

Bus stops. Quiet comes. Shhh. Ears rest.

SHHH.
ART: Big quiet page with lots of empty space; buses paused under trees.
PAGE 09

Music

Carnival music starts. Ting-ting! Kindness sways. Loneliness listens.

TING-TING!
ART: Small bell instrument, gentle body movement. No crowded sensory scene.
PAGE 10

Choose

Too loud? Cover ears. Step back. Stay close.

ART: Fear covers ears; Courage stands nearby without pulling or forcing.
PAGE 11

Try a Sound

Beep. Tap. Rumble. Shhh. Which sound do you like?

ART: Four large sound icons; caregiver can point and repeat.
PAGE 12

Ride Together

Beep-beep! Twin buses roll on. Loud, soft, together.

BEEP-BEEP!
ART: Both buses travel beneath carnival lights; four featured characters visible through windows.

Front-cover treatment

One large blue/white bus with oversized sound rings and simple music-note shapes. Courage and Fear occupy two big windows; Kindness and Loneliness appear in smaller rear windows. Keep visual language clean enough for a board-book thumbnail.

Back-cover treatment

Four sound icons—horn, tap, wheel, hush—surround the twin buses. Copy: “Beep! Tap-tap! Rumble! Shhh. Ride with Courage, Fear, Kindness and Loneliness as tiny readers listen, copy sounds and learn that loud, soft and quiet can all feel different.”

Character continuity

No new characters. This book uses Courage and Kindness from Bus One; Fear and Loneliness from Bus Two. Preserve approved character designs and the established twin-bus colour system.

0–2 learning layer

Goals: sound imitation, loud/soft/quiet contrast, noticing startle, checking the source of a sound with an adult, asking before joining someone, and simple sensory choice such as covering ears or stepping back.

Interior visual rule

One action per spread, giant expressions, high contrast, no clutter. Sound words should be large visual shapes but never obscure character faces. Challenging feelings are not coded as villains.

Catalogue metadata

Series: Emoji Carnival: Little Carnival
Book: 02
Age: 0–2
Featured characters: Courage, Fear, Kindness, Loneliness
Concepts: sounds, startle, loud/soft/quiet, sensory choice, gentle social connection
Authors: E. H. Ackerman & J. D. Ackerman

PREVIEW — NOT PRINT-READY. Complete 0–2 board-book manuscript and visual specification are present. Final approved character art, board-book pagination, trim/bleed, accessibility/sensory review, proofing, metadata, rights and release QA remain required.