Two Little Trains

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Youth level.
Two little trains, one streamlined, the other old-fashioned, puff, puff, puff, and chug, chug, chug, on their way West.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Look Down, Look Down That Long Steel Track submitted by Jan Wolter on June 14, 2014, 4:56pm My son is going through a phase where he wants to be read this book every night at bedtime, so I know it way, way too well.

At first I was kind of disappointed with this. It doesn't have the obvious charm of "Goodnight Moon". But it grew on me as I noticed more and more of what was going on in the story.

This was originally an unillustrated poem by Margret Wise Brown. The illustrations were added much later by the Dillons. And they did something interesting with them. From the poem, the two trains could both have been real trains, but the Dillons' illustrations turn one train into a toy train, which is re-enacting the trip taken by the real train. You can tell it's a re-enactment, because, on the cover, the gift box containing the toy train is seen among the luggage going aboard the real train at the start of it's journey. The gift box is opened on the title page. Obviously a parent is telling about their cross country train journey, and a child is re-enacting it with the new toy train, and simultaneously proceeding through their bedtime routine that ends in bed when the train journey ends in California. You never see the child, but if you are alert, you can figure out that the child wears glasses. All this goes utterly over the head of my child, but it helps keep my interest up on the two-hundredth reading.

The words are rhythmic and pleasing to read. There are lots of repeated simple words, which might well make it usable as an early reader. I always read with my finger following the words, in hopes that the little one will start to pick up the association between the words written and the words spoken.

Pleasant submitted by romanticmind on July 11, 2015, 10:19am I really liked the back and forth prose of this one. As far as kids books go, this one was enjoyable!

Lovely submitted by sarai koster-mockeridge on August 26, 2015, 6:54pm A lovely little book of contrasts. Enjoyable for kid and parent alike.

Two Little Trains submitted by SBNB on August 19, 2017, 12:50pm I liked this book. It was fun seeing the juxtaposition of the real train going west and the toy train going through the house.