A poetry book for the early-elementary train lover looking for some clever verbiage to complement the cabooses.It's no mean feat to conjure up an original train book for kids, but, by gum, Brown and Christoph manage it. With both old favorites (freight, steam, bullet) and some new eclectic additions (zoo train, whistle-stop tour, shoulder ballast cleaner), young train enthusiasts will have plenty here to whistle at. Thirteen poems touch on a wide range of train travel and experiences. From the quiet of the early morning train yards through the power of a train snowplow to the comfort of a sleeper car, each poem is worked in a different form of verse, paired to the type of train that fits it best. There's certainly some sophisticated wordplay at work here, as in "Electric Train": "Power from the wire. / Pantograph required. / Cabled Line of Fire. / Tethered Train Flyer." Don't know the word "pantograph"? The "Train Facts" tucked in at the back of the book offer further information that is bound to be adored by expository-nonfiction readers. Digital art reveals a multiracial array of train enthusiasts, in both historical and present-day views. The overall package is a beautiful gift for locomotive lovers.A book unafraid to go on beyond choo-choo. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7)

K-Gr 2 Brown has created poems that mimic and complement many different kinds of trains including freight trains, bullet trains, zoo trains, steam engines, underground trains, and more. "Shoulder Ballast Cleaner" fills the page; the words are curved and spread all over the vehicle. The sleeper train poem includes repetition to give readers the feeling of going to sleep; the repetition in "The Underground Train" emphasizes the train's underground journey and purpose. Not all of the poems rhyme, but each piece reflects the trains' characteristics with their words, use of space, and design. Illustrator Christoph has created a beautiful homage to the world of trains with bright colors and bold double-page images. The steam engine fills the page while the bullet train looks like it is speeding out of sight. A spread of train facts, cleverly written upon the train cars, completes this wild ride. VERDICT This title is a must-have for train aficionados. Highly recommended for elementary and children's collections. -Lia Carruthers, Gill St. Bernard's School

From "Morning in the Yard" to "Sleeper Train," the 13 poems in this fully illustrated book offer fresh takes on a variety of trains. Brown, who wrote Slickety Quick: Poems about Sharks (2016), introduces a railway snowplow, a shoulder ballast cleaner, and a whistle stop tour as well as the more familiar steam engine, underground train, and bullet train. The rhyming verses vary in length, rhythm, and tone. The last three verses of "Freight Train" comment succinctly on the train's colorful, sculptural beauty: "Clankin' crayon pack on wheels. / Racin' rainbow made of steel. / Rows of grooves, cables, and bars. / Graffiti rockin' out the cars. / A badge of rust. A proud oil stain. / There's nothin' plain about a train." Reflecting the changing moods of the poems, Christoph's expressive digital artwork includes spare, beautifully composed scenes as well as others with interesting details for kids to discover. Some of the broad, double-page illustrations suggest period settings, but most have a timeless look. A slender, handsome volume celebrating trains.

A poetry book for the early-elementary train lover looking for some clever verbiage to complement the cabooses.It's no mean feat to conjure up an original train book for kids, but, by gum, Brown and Christoph manage it. With both old favorites (freight, steam, bullet) and some new eclectic additions (zoo train, whistle-stop tour, shoulder ballast cleaner), young train enthusiasts will have plenty here to whistle at. Thirteen poems touch on a wide range of train travel and experiences. From the quiet of the early morning train yards through the power of a train snowplow to the comfort of a sleeper car, each poem is worked in a different form of verse, paired to the type of train that fits it best. There's certainly some sophisticated wordplay at work here, as in "Electric Train": "Power from the wire. / Pantograph required. / Cabled Line of Fire. / Tethered Train Flyer." Don't know the word "pantograph"? The "Train Facts" tucked in at the back of the book offer further information that is bound to be adored by expository-nonfiction readers. Digital art reveals a multiracial array of train enthusiasts, in both historical and present-day views. The overall package is a beautiful gift for locomotive lovers.A book unafraid to go on beyond choo-choo. (Picture book/poetry. 4-7)