Old Tracks, New Tricks

K-Gr 3—Wooden toy train tracks want to be taken home from the store and played with, so they perform some tricks. Sure enough, they attract the attention of a young engineer, and home they go. Once there, the new tracks are added to the old tracks and the old trains. However, the old tracks are not keen on the new ones. The old trains pressure the tracks to work together so they can drive. Soon, the new tracks show the old tracks new tricks that have little to do with trains. They make shapes, build towers, and play dominoes. The trains see how much fun the tracks are having together, so they decide to join in the fun of playing creatively rather than puffing and chuffing along in a traditional manner. Several pages at the end of the book encourage readers to come up with their own inventive play with a five-step process. In addition, the last few pages feature a picture of each type of play the tracks engaged in, such as "track art" or "tricks with blocks," with a list of materials and instructions. The images are full-color photographs digitized with smiley-type faces. The old tracks are charmingly dinged or covered in childlike embellishments, including stickers and crayons. Conversation bubbles between the tracks and trains tell most of the story. At times, the photographs are so full of conversation bubbles, tracks, trains, and other toys that the pages become a visual jumble. A few outlined text boxes struggle to keep the narrative going in the confusion. The often rhyming text, while at times clever, is also occasionally forced. For these reasons, it may be difficult for younger readers and listeners to follow the story.