Pano the Train

by Sharon Holaves, Giannini (Illustrator)

Cute story of a little train designed to help a child to learn to read with simple signals throughout the book. Happy chugging!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

24 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little Golden Books seem to have taken a backseat to the dozens of colorful picture books published each week in the United States. Pano the Train however is one worth seeking out and reading. The story contains three rebus pictures that children can learn and "read" throughout the story, including toot-toot and ding-ding for the sounds of the train. Pano tells the story of a train who is so focused on himself and arriving first that he doesn't take the time to slow down and listen to the many animals and people who are trying to tell him something along the way. The text uses some repition along with the rebus pictures to keep children involved in the story and the illustrations are colorful and engaging. The simple message of listening is illustrated at the end of the story.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a sort of rebus for train sounds, so even a young non-reader can participate in the read-aloud.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pano the Train is a story about a train who is very focused on his task that he forgets to listen to those around him. Cute book that has some interaction with symbols that you toot, ding, or chug to when they appear in the book. Good story about taking time to listen and pay attention to things happening around you. Story has a good pace and lots of repetition for early readers.

[Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most precious gift from a friend that I am very grateful for and to <3
A beautiful book with beautiful illustrations so appropriate and ideal introduction to the world of READING for children and adults every time a pleasure to read aloud!

Chug-Chugged Happy Readings!
xoxo
:) ;)

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good bedtime story due to its repetitiveness.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

You've lost, you've lost ...!
18 November 2013

One of the things that I like about commenting on these children's books is that not only does it give me the opportunity to update the Goodread's database (and thus get librarian points, not that I suspect they are counting anymore because they used to update the stats on a weekly basis, but they don't seem to have done that for a while) but it also gives me to opportunity to go off on much more of a tangent than many of the other books that I read. It probably has something to do with the fact that with many of the other books that I read I end up sticking much closer to the themes, where as these simple children's books allow me to explore themes such as the development of language.
This is a story about a train that does not listen (and I do remember it as a kid because I liked watching the train trundle down the mountain with its little red cabbose rolling down the other side). As he travels down the mountain all of these people call out 'you've lost, you've lost' and the train does not realise (though we the reader do) that it has nothing to do with a race but the fact that one of his carriages has become unshackled from the train and has going on a trek on its own (only to find itself at the bottom of the hill because this railway only goes in a circle).
I would say that this book teaches us that assumption is the mother of all stuff ups, but while Pano the train does assume some things in this book, it does not result in a monumental stuff up. However it does teach him not to listen to only half of what people are saying (though sometimes it is not possible if you are speeding down a hill because you have a delivery quota that you have to meet in a ridiculously short amount of time that is simply not humanly possible).
There is also a cute little addition to this book which is a form of symbol recognition. It has whistles, which you are supposed to say 'toot, toot', bells which you are supposed to say 'ding, ding' and smoke clouds, which you are supposed to say 'chug, chug'. In a way it helps the child become more connected to the book as they are also participating in reading the book (and also helps them recognise the symbols, and hopefully go on to recognising words).

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun kids' book, but the wording on the last couple of pages is rather poor. I usually change the words to make the meaning clearer. Also I leave out the nauseating moral: "Pano hadn't lost either a race or a caboose, but Pano had learned to listen."

I was going nuts trying to figure out what the setting is...classical ruins, hilly islands, guys in baggy pants and fezzes. Finally found a picture that matches the men's outfits: traditional/folk costume of the Aegean islands (Greece). Phew! Turns out Pano is a Greek name.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute story about a train named Pano who lost his caboose. Unfortunately, Pano is too busy getting to where he wants to go to pay attention to the people trying to get his attention telling him he lost his caboose. I listened to the Little Golden Book audio cassette and enjoyed it, so I can't comment on the actual book or illustrations.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. My son loved the pictures of the trains, and of course the moral of the story is great.