My Little Train

PreS-Gr 1—The little train chugs into Central Station and picks up five passengers. Duck wants to go to the pond, Sheep to the field, Monkey to the forest, and Bear to the mountain. Little Kangaroo does not say a word. Off goes the train through the tunnel (a wooden chair), to the pond (a fish bowl), to the field (a painting of a poppy field), to the forest (a large potted plant), and to the mountain (the back of a sofa). With four passengers gone, Little Kangaroo says, "Bravo, Train." Loving adventure, he has come along for the ride. The little train goes across the mountain (the sofa pillows) until it comes to a cliff (the edge of the sofa) and falls. Out hops Little Kangaroo, putting one car after another upright, and back they go to Central Station and the safety of his mama's pocket. The simple, rhythmic text sounds like a train on the tracks, huffing, puffing, and chugging its way around a comfortable living room strewn with toys and books. The realistic watercolor illustrations are done in soft hues and make good use of the white space in each spread. This gentle adventure with its reassuring ending is reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's Two Little Trains (HarperCollins, 2001). Young listeners will ask for it over and over again.—Mary Jean Smith, Southside Elementary School, Lebanon, TN