Image: Simon & Schuster · source
Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Mid-range
A Caldecott Medal winner by Brian Floca that explores America's early railroads, set on a journey across the brand-new transcontinental railroad.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
The publisher calls it a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America's early railroads. The pages follow trains, crews and family traveling together on the transcontinental railroad, and bring to life the sounds, speed and strength of the mighty locomotives, the work that keeps them moving, and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean. The American Library Association, which gives the Caldecott Medal through its children's library division, says the committee was impressed by Floca's ability to capture the immensity of the early locomotive and praised how the book combines the engine's inner workings with a family's adventurous journey west. The author's site reprints reviews describing a fictional trip by a mother and her two children from Omaha to the West Coast, told in free verse, with the father waiting at the end.
This is a book to read aloud or alone at home. The publisher lists a hardcover of 64 pages, with the author also as illustrator, for grades from preschool to fifth; the author's site says ages 4 and up. According to the reviews reprinted there, the front endpapers carry maps and milestones, the back endpapers show a cutaway diagram of the engine, and the book closes with an author's note and a discussion of the sources used. The publisher also offers a reading group guide and downloadable resources on the same page, and the author's site lists a curriculum guide, an audio introduction and a poetry page, Locomotives in Verse.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Pages | 64 |
| Awards | Caldecott Medal, Sibert Honor Book |
| Format | Hardcover |
| Grades | P - 5 |
| ISBN-13 | 9781416994152 |
| Publisher | Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books |
| Author and illustrator | Brian Floca |
It suits families and teachers looking for a picture book about early American railroads, for children from preschool to grade five as the publisher lists. A New York Times review quoted on the author's site says older children will appreciate the wealth of detail and history while younger ones are drawn in by the chugga-chugga rhythm of the free verse and its sound effects. An adult wanting detailed locomotive data should look at a reference book instead.
Train: The Definitive Visual History (DK) is a reference book already in this catalogue for readers who want more detail on locomotives. The Big Book of Trains (DK) is already in this catalogue as a picture-led alternative.
Image: National Geographic (Penguin Random House) · source
National Geographic · Mid-range
A National Geographic hardcover that profiles 100 railway journeys around the world, with notes on when and where to go, which cabins to book and what to see off the train.
Image: Lorenz Books / Simon & Schuster · source
Lorenz Books · Mid-range
A hardcover guide to the golden age of train engines by Colin Garratt, with 700 photographs covering the first designs to modern high-speed trains.
Image: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers · source
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers · Budget
A board book by Kevin Lewis, with pictures by Daniel Kirk, that follows a busy toy steam locomotive through a playroom from sunrise until all its freight has been delivered.
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Compare all railway books.
