I Love Trains

Amazon.com
A little boy in a striped engineer cap and overalls extols the many virtues of trains in this boldly colored celebration of that most romantic form of transportation. Holding a toy train, he gazes out his bedroom window onto the bucolic countryside bisected by a set of tracks, while train cars "hoot and roar as they rumble by my door." One long train stretches over the course of the book; every two-page spread features several types of cars and the boy's simple, rhyming descriptions. "Some carry steel; some carry scrap, or secret stuff that's under wrap." The latter shows what's obviously an airplane, under cover. Vibrant swaths of color and heavy black outlines make the vivid, almost childlike pictures particularly pleasing to the eye. And as the last car rounds the bend, we discover there's a special reason our hero loves trains so much, especially the caboose! Tiny train fans will cheer to find this delightful companion to Philemon Sturges and Shari Halpern's I Love Trucks!. (Ages 3 to 6) --Emilie Coulter


From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 1-As he watches a train go by, a little boy describes the vehicle in rhyming text. "Some cars keep things from the rain./Some cars carry trucks or grain,/or cows,/or hogs,/or gas,/or logs." However, by the child's reckoning, "-the best car's at the end,/and as the train goes round the bend," he waves, "-glad/to see the car that carries Dad." Boldly colored, unadorned illustrations accompany the text. Additional information about trains is provided on the endpapers. Although this title is not as well constructed as Donald Crews's Freight Train (Greenwillow, 1978) or as detailed as Gail Gibbons's Trains (Holiday, 1987), youngsters should enjoy the simple story, whether it is shared as a read-aloud or one-on-one.Melinda Piehler, North Tonawanda Public Library, NYCopyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Ages 1-5. A celebration for train lovers, this simple, rhyming picture book gives a few basic facts about freight trains and what the special train cars do. Clear, bright, double-page pictures with thick black lines and neon colors show the engine close up, "big and strong," and then steaming across the countryside "pulling lots of cars along." The various cars carry trucks or grain or gas or logs or steel or scrap. Toddlers will enjoy making the hoot, roar, and rumble sounds and identifying the various cars, just like the enthusiastic kid on the final double-page spread, who is playing with a train set in his room. Older preschoolers will be ready for the endpapers that give a brief definition of a flatcar, a hopper, a boxcar, and others terms, and describe the amazing loads they carry. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Trains, Trains, Trains!

A train is passing by! A young boy watches in delight from his window as it rumbles and roars past. Each of the cars is carrying something interesting, but his favorite car is the last one -- it carries something extra special!

ANNOTATION

A boy expresses his love of trains, describing many kinds of train cars and their special jobs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A follow-up to the successful I Love Trucks!, this rhymed picture book introduces the preschool set to trains and the jobs they do.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A child expresses a keen interest in all manner of aircraft in I Love Planes! by Philemon Sturges, illus. by Shari Halpern. Endpapers describe flying machines and terms (e.g., "Sky scratches are not smoke. They are ice crystals made by the airplane's breath in the cold of the high sky"), in a format that follows I Love Trains!, which is now available in paperback.

Children's Literature

Any youngster who loves trains will be spellbound as they take a journey through the pages of this whimsical book. Easy-to-read text and rhymes engage readers, who are introduced to the purpose and functions of a train. "Some cars keep things from the rain, Some cars carry truck or grain, or cows, or hogs, or gas or logs." Readers will observe that different shapes and sizes of train cars determine their use. The eye-popping colors of Halpern's illustrations are a delight. Front and back pages include brilliantly colored drawings of many different types of railroad cars not mentioned in the text. Some of these cars are the tender car that is pulled behind a steam engine to carry extra water or coal and flatcars that carry autos, boats and trucks, even airplanes and helicopters. This book is a great pick for homes with toddlers or in nursery schools. The pages are a feast for young eyes. 2001, HarperCollins, $13.89 and $12.95. Ages 3 to 6. Reviewer:Sue Reichard

School Library Journal