On an overnight train to see Grandma, a boy traveling with his father takes in the sights and sounds. It’s a vintage subject, but Stutson (Prairie Primer A to Z) and Tillotson (Nice Try, Tooth Fairy) mine it astutely. Small sensations and experiences are just as important here as big ones, as they so often are for children: mastering the art of carrying a water-filled paper cup down the rocking aisles receives the same weight as the thrill of speeding through countryside and town. Truncated verse suggests the motion of the train: “Back we go On rattling floors,” Stutson writes after the boy has eaten in the dining car, “Car To car Through hissing doors.” Her spare tone acts as counterpoint to the glowing lighting and dramatic angles of Tillotson’s full-bleed pastels. One of the most telling scenes takes place in the dining car, where the boy is shown wondering at the presentation of an exotic, domed entree; the mirrored surface reflects the server’s smiling face. This tribute offers evidence that, when it comes to the romance of train travel, a child’s love is here to stay. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

reSchool-Grade 1-A ride that will delight train lovers. A young boy boards one of the passenger cars in the country and readers’ first views are of passing meadows and farm animals, bridges and tunnels. Soon, night falls, and the locomotive approaches a city where the scenes become those of apartment buildings and an expressway. Inside, there is also much to be fascinated with, including a meal in the dining car and silver sinks in the bathroom. The rhyming text, “Back we go On rattling floors. Car To car Through hissing doors,” adds details while conveying the power and the beauty of the train and the wonder and adventure of an all-night ride as seen through the eyes of a child. The large double-page paintings feature a contrast of colors: warm oranges and browns and greens for the countryside and varying shades of blue and gray for the city. A trip every child should experience, even if only through this story.
Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-7. Striking, full-spread paintings and rhythmic text capture the rush and thrill of trains in this attractive title. The story is minimal: a boy and his father ride the train overnight, through countryside and small towns, until they reach morning (“Bright skyscrapers. City dawn”), and a loving relative waiting at the station. With just a few words per page, the poetic text captures the feel and noise of the train, imitating the rocking repetition with rhymed couplets and hypnotic sounds: “Dozing waking through the night. Dozing waking . . . Station Lights!” But it’s the realistic paintings that really tell the story, showing the boy and his father on board, and then broad views of the train streaking across the landscapes, its lighted snout leading a flashing tail. An excellent choice for preschool story hours, this will also make a good bedtime selection, launching little ones on their own dreamy night-time adventures. Gillian Engberg
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