Image: Golden Books / Penguin Random House · source
Golden Books · Budget
A classic Little Golden Book about a charming red caboose that wants to be as popular as the big steam engine at the front of the train.
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We have not tested it ourselves: strengths and weaknesses below come from the tests cited.
The story is told from the back of the train: its hero is the caboose, not the engine. The publisher describes a red caboose that wants nothing more than to be as popular as the big steam engine at the front of the train, and calls the story inspiring and the illustrations colorful. The illustrator, Tibor Gergely, is also credited by the publisher with bringing to life two of the most popular Little Golden Book characters, Scuffy the Tugboat and Tootle. The publisher's biography adds that he was born in Budapest, studied art in Vienna at the age of twenty, designed stage sets and marionettes, and worked as an illustrator and cartoonist for newspapers in central Europe before settling in New York. He began working with Golden Books in the year the line was launched, illustrated more than seventy of its titles, and received a Caldecott Honor for Wheel on the Chimney, written by Margaret Wise Brown.
This is a book for reading together with a young child. The publisher lists an age range of 2 to 5 years, a grade level up to kindergarten, a hardcover format, 24 pages and a size of 6-5/8 by 8 inches. It belongs to the Little Golden Book series, which the publisher describes as books with sturdy cardboard covers and gold-foil spines. The author, Marian Potter, wrote it as a Little Golden Book, and the publisher notes it has never been out of print.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Pages | 24 |
| Author | Marian Potter |
| Format | Hardcover |
| ISBN-13 | 9780307021526 |
| Age range | 2-5 years |
| Publisher | Golden Books |
| Illustrator | Tibor Gergely |
It suits a parent or grandparent buying a train-themed picture book for a child aged 2 to 5, which is the age range the publisher gives, and who wants a story told from the point of view of the caboose rather than the engine. Readers older than that should look at a book with more detail on how trains work.
Steam Train, Dream Train: Next Stop, Christmas! is a train-themed picture book already in this catalogue. The Little Engine That Could is another classic train picture book already in this catalogue.
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.
