Image: Charlesbridge · source
Charlesbridge · Budget
Alphabet Trains is a 32-page rhyming picture book by Samantha R. Vamos, illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke, that gives each letter from A to Z its own train, from familiar types to unusual ones, with factual notes on every train at the back.
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This is a children's book that treats trains as a subject worth cataloguing. Each letter gets a different train, and the publisher describes the choices as running from familiar types to unusual ones, carrying people and cargo around the world. The author says her editor asked for trains spread across different regions, and the trains named by the author include the Glacier Express in the Swiss Alps, the Hurricane Turn in Alaska, the Xplorer in New South Wales, the Rocky Mountaineer, the Leonardo Express, the Auto Train that carries cars, and the bullet train. Other trains in the book are described by type: snowplow, monorail, freight, narrow-gauge and elevated trains all appear. Nearly every train in the book still operates today. The one exception is Jupiter, a historic locomotive tied to the Golden Spike ceremony in Utah. The book ends with a spread of factual information about each train shown, and a legend that cites where each one comes from, mixing historical and current examples.
This is a picture book for reading with a child, not a reference or an outdoor guide. The publisher lists it for ages 3 to 7 (preschool to grade 2), with a Lexile measure of 470L and a Fountas and Pinnell level of K, figures a parent can use to judge the reading level. Because the art hides upper and lowercase letters, a parent can turn a page into a game of finding letters, a feature the publisher's page credits to the illustrations. The publisher's page suggests pairing it with Donald Crews's Freight Train and Margaret Wise Brown's Two Little Trains for story time, which gives a parent a short shelf of train books to build from.
Strengths
Weaknesses
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Pages | 32 |
| Author | Samantha R. Vamos |
| Format | Paperback |
| ISBN-13 | 9781580895934 |
| Age range | 3-7 years (preschool to grade 2) |
| Page size | 10 x 7 (units not stated by the publisher) |
| Publisher | Charlesbridge |
| Illustrator | Ryan O'Rourke |
| Companion to | Alphabet Trucks |
| Reading level | Lexile 470L; Fountas and Pinnell K (listed for the hardcover edition) |
A parent or grandparent giving a first train book to a child between 3 and 7, particularly a family that wants named, real-world trains and an alphabet to learn at the same time. It is a gift for a reader being introduced to trains, not for an adult looking for a reference on rolling stock.
The publisher's page also names Freight Train by Donald Crews and Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown as natural companions for a read-aloud shelf.
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