My Little Golden Book About Trains

The publisher calls this a fact-filled look at trains, and its description spells out the range: passenger trains, freight trains, subways, elevated trains and high-speed bullet trains. It treats trains as a whole family of machines instead of following one character, and the description adds that the illustrations celebrate the history of the railroad. The publisher files it under Children's Nonfiction and Children's Picture Books, and places it in a series titled My Little Golden Book About, whose other titles by the same author, as the author's note on the publisher's page lists them, cover subjects such as dinosaurs and the solar system. A parent or grandparent who wants a first train book that is about real trains, rather than a story, will find that distinction stated on the page.

This is a read-aloud book for the home, not a trackside guide. The publisher gives a hardcover of 24 pages, a size listed as 6-5/8 x 8, an age range of 2 to 5 years and a grade level of up to Kindergarten. The publisher's page offers a Look Inside preview, so a buyer can page through the book before ordering. The publisher's page does not say the book names particular railroads, locomotives, routes or countries.

A parent, grandparent or relative buying a first nonfiction train book for a child between two and five, and wanting the book to cover several kinds of trains rather than a single engine. It also suits a family that already owns other Little Golden Books and wants a train title in the same format. A buyer who wants a story with named characters should look at the alternatives below.

Hero of the Rails, a 24-page Little Golden Book credited to Rev. W. Awdry, is a story tied to a Thomas the Tank Engine film and also carries an age range of 2 to 5, so it suits a child who prefers characters to facts. The Little Train, Lois Lenski's board book of 32 pages for ages 0 to 3, follows one small train from Tinytown to the city and suits a younger child who needs a sturdier format.

Image: National Geographic (Penguin Random House) · source

100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime

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.

Why railfans pick itCheck price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens Amazon in a new tab)

Image: Lorenz Books / Simon & Schuster · source

An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Locomotives

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.

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Image: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers · source

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (board book)

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.

Why railfans pick itCheck price on Amazon (affiliate link, opens Amazon in a new tab)