Trains

From the Publisher

Publishers Weekly
(December 22, 2003; 0-439-45583-9)

Kuklin's (How My Family Lives in America) photo-essay documents the passage of vintage steam locomotives (Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauges, to be precise) as they chug through the Colorado Rockies and across a series of crisply designed, strongly horizontal spreads. Brief captions trace the journey and drive home the sound effects: "Onto the trestle/ Over the river/ Clickety-clack/ Along the track" (all train noises are set in oversize, color 1890s-style type). Pages alternate from one bold color to another, while borders along the top and bottom of the spreads effectively echo train tracks. In Kuklin's most impressive photograph, the train snakes around a cliff at 7,200 feet above sea level, as sun glints off the striations and corrugations of rock. While the youngest trainspotters may be enthralled by the sight of a steam locomotive in action, older picture book readers may be less satisfied. The photographs do not coalesce into an effective narrative arc, and often-even in the cliff shot-the light casts such harsh shadows that the black locomotive is partially or totally obscured. A final spread offers various facts about the engine, including the meaning behind various train whistle patterns. Ages 4-8. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal
(December 1, 2003; 0-439-45583-9)

PreS-Gr 1-Young train enthusiasts will love this title. The five Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge steam engines still in operation are expertly photographed "at various locations along their route in the Colorado Rocky Mountains." The crisp, full-color photos are accompanied by short descriptive phrases such as, "Ring the bell/All Aboard!/Whoo-whoo/Ready to go." The trains are shown close up and at a distance, against stunning backgrounds, and the text is rhythmic: "Going back/Along the track/Clickety-clack/Along the track." The large illustrations will capture children's attention. Train facts are included in the back.-Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Kuklin's (How My Family Lives in America) photo-essay documents the passage of vintage steam locomotives (Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauges, to be precise) as they chug through the Colorado Rockies and across a series of crisply designed, strongly horizontal spreads. Brief captions trace the journey and drive home the sound effects: "Onto the trestle/ Over the river/ Clickety-clack/ Along the track" (all train noises are set in oversize, color 1890s-style type). Pages alternate from one bold color to another, while borders along the top and bottom of the spreads effectively echo train tracks. In Kuklin's most impressive photograph, the train snakes around a cliff at 7,200 feet above sea level, as sun glints off the striations and corrugations of rock. While the youngest trainspotters may be enthralled by the sight of a steam locomotive in action, older picture book readers may be less satisfied. The photographs do not coalesce into an effective narrative arc, and often-even in the cliff shot-the light casts such harsh shadows that the black locomotive is partially or totally obscured. A final spread offers various facts about the engine, including the meaning behind various train whistle patterns. Ages 4-8. (Nov.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Only a few words per page spread in large type describe a train ride through the Colorado Rocky Mountains on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, pulled by an old-fashioned steam engine. The whistle blows, "Whoo-Whoo," and wheels roll "clickety clack" as the train goes "Chugga Chugga" along the mountains and over trestles. All the appropriate sounds are emphasized in large, brightly colored, upper-case letters. The very clear, colored photographs offer various views of the train in close-ups and along the tracks, and most impressive, of the locomotive. The virtual trip is an invitation for youngsters to seek out the transportation of yesteryear. Two pages of "Train Talk" fill in more information. 2003, Orchard Books/Scholastic Inc, Ages 3 to 7.
— Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-Young train enthusiasts will love this title. The five Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge steam engines still in operation are expertly photographed "at various locations along their route in the Colorado Rocky Mountains." The crisp, full-color photos are accompanied by short descriptive phrases such as, "Ring the bell/All Aboard!/Whoo-whoo/Ready to go." The trains are shown close up and at a distance, against stunning backgrounds, and the text is rhythmic: "Going back/Along the track/Clickety-clack/Along the track." The large illustrations will capture children's attention. Train facts are included in the back.-Melinda Piehler, Sawgrass Elementary School, Sunrise, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

"Ring the bell / All Aboard / WHOO-WHOO / Ready to go." Pairing big, sharp color photos of old-style steam locomotives with short lines of oversized text set against fields of bright primary colors, this album will rivet younger trainiacs. With scarcely a human in the pictures, and only glimpses of buildings, the trains, all traveling on Colorado's Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Line, chug off on their daily round, through mountain meadows, up rocky slopes, and over a trestle. Kuklin opens and closes with facts about steam locomotives in general, and these in particular. These black behemoths almost seem to be running themselves; children will practically be able to hear them chuffing along. (Picture book/nonfiction. 6-8)