A hero bus driver gave a terrified schoolboy a helping hand of encouragement ahead of his first day at school.
The boy, Axel, was in floods of tears when his mother, Amy Johnson, put him on the school bus.
But driver Isabel Lane realised she may be able to calm him down by holding his hand.
Axel, from Augusta, Wisconsin, was starting at a pre-kindergarten school for children aged four and under.
Ms Johnson told CNN: “He was super excited to go, but when the bus came around corner he was really quiet.
"The bus opened the door and I looked at him and he started crying.”
Amy helped the little boy on board, but as she left Axel grabbed for his mother.
Bus driver Ms Lane heard the boy’s distress and reached around to comfort him.
She said: "I told him: 'Buddy, you got this and will have so much fun.' I stuck my hand behind the seat as maybe something else to grab onto and he grabbed my hand.
"I could see that he needed to be comforted and that was the best I could do at the time.”
The little boy calmed down by the end of the journey thanks to the actions of the driver, according to his mother, who hopes he can be a role model for his two-year-old brother.
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