K-Gr 6—Steele grabs readers' attention and stimulates their curiosity with plenty of factual information and interactive elements. The material, organized topically on spreads, begins with the first railroads and moves on to underground rail transportation, world travel, mountain railroads, luxury trains, diesel power, electric trains, and the quest for speed. The concluding segment showcases the architectural styles of select train stations. Headlines compartmentalize the material into distinct sections. The spreads host a combination of details along with clear captioned photos, diagrams, maps, and original artwork. Dramatic sliding pages allow readers to expand the train illustrations, while a few flaps tucked here and there give them an opportunity to look at the vehicles' inner components. Reproductions of historical posters advertising train travel are a unique addition. Photos come from a variety of sources, which are identified on the index page. The combination of an easy-to-follow writing style and varied images works well to explain details such as the difference between rail gauges, how to read train signals, and the contrast between smooth and rack rails. Train lovers will be engaged by the book's international coverage.—Lynn Vanca, Freelance Librarian, Akron, OH
Pull the horizontal tabs and a page three times longer than the original reveals the Trans-Siberian railway or a Paris Metro train car. Though few children will have either the historical background or the manual dexterity to manage this collector's item, die-hard train buffs will be gratified by the detailed information and the elaborate illustrations.
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