Crossing

by Philip Booth

"All who have succumbed to the allure of the railroad will be stopped in their own tracks by this eye-filling, show-stopping debut showcase." — KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

Start with a vintage poem by Philip Booth, whose rhythms recall the cadence of a moving freight train. Pair it with detailed realistic paintings by Bagram Ibatoulline that masterfully and dramatically capture an American freight train in its heyday, along with all the small-town denizens who stop to watch its crossing. What you have is a majestic picture book that will enthrall train enthusiasts of all ages and delight anyone who appreciates a heady dose of nostalgia.

Genres: Picture Books, Transport, Trains, Poetry, Childrens, Storytime

40 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2001

About the author

Philip Booth is a Fellow of the Academy of American Poets and has been honored by Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. The poem "Crossing" appeared in his first book, Letter from a Distant Land. Of his inspiration for the poem, he says, "I grew up in White River Junction, Vermont, where the White River and the Connecticut River come together. Many, many trains come down the river valley, traveling from Montreal to Boston, on to New Haven and beyond. The real crossing of this poem, though, is in Brunswick, Maine."


Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Miss Pippi the Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many train books focus on large parts of a train - engine, cars and caboose. Booth shares with the reader the details about trains - boxcars, labels, logos, and locations. He offers just a glimpse so the reader can take enjoy it as is or find more information about the different systems and locations. Today we wait at crossings more than we ride trains, so this would be an excellent book to share with youngsters.

Bagram Ibatoulline gives new life to text Booth's 1953 "Crossing" from Letter From a Distant Land. Ibatoulline designs are copyright from 2001 (when the book was published), but displays the life in the 1950's. The gouache is amazing to see. If you're not a train enthusiast, read it for the pictures. If you are a train enthusiast, read it for the glimpse of a train crossing.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this 3 stars but increased it to 4 because my daughter has asked to read it several times and likes it. The illustrations are beautiful, and there are less than 10 words per page, but much of the text consists of company names on the train cars. I do not see it communicating anything useful to children other than on the first page (stop, look, and listen before crossing railroad tracks).

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that harkens back to a time when enjoyment was found from simple occurrences. A long freight train runs through a small town. As the townsfolk and children watch the trains and note the names on the outside, fun is had by all. Originally a poem for adults published in 1953. Obviously Booth found the poem, rendered it to a children's story, and when the wonderful illustrations of Ibatoulline are added, the parts become a marvelous whole!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of Emerson's favorite books, and has been since he was 22 months old. I originally picked it up at a garage sale. He loves the vivid pictures and details, and simple story line. He will recreate the train scene on the floor with his own trains, and will read this book over and over.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a mid century small town, this book will appeal to big time train enthusiasts. The text is very simple, and much of it is just the naming of different railroads, making it a bit less exciting to read for someone who isn’t very familiar with these companies. The illustrations are really fun and probably the selling point of this book, as they show the train cars from many different vantage points that are interesting to see. A lot of story can be read from the pictures alone, I think the text doesn’t add too much here really.

[Taylor Parker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Poetry
Grade: k-3

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN... The Crossing would be a great read for train lovers! Throughout the book, it counts the number of train cars that pass through the crossing and all of the different materials in each train car. The author uses rhyming to keep the flow of counting the numbers and describing the train cars. The illustrations are very realistic and full of detail.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In few words and in rhyme this richly illustrated story celebrates the freight train. The scenario is of the steam train, and the people who - dressed in styles of that time - are waiting for it to pass at a crossing.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arguably, this is Bagram Ibatoulline's best work yet, illustrating the unique topic of introducing various train cars from railroad's golden age. Each page simply lists a type of train car or activity, while Ibatoulline's use of rust, sepia, and amber bring historic magestic cars to life.

[The Unschoolers · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars, we LOVE picture books and this one didn't feel like anything special. It's cute but the kids were kind of meh about it. Flow isn't ideal as a read-aloud and it makes more sense now that I've realized it was originally a poem turned childrens book.

[Heather Culley · Rating 5 out of 5]

ILLUSTRATIONS

[Victoria Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crossing written by Philip Booth and illustrated by Bagran Ibatoulline teaches children or adults about the different cargo that can be hauled by a train. As cars drive over the track the lights, light up and the gate stripes slowly move down to stop the cars. The engine passes as the people wait, there are many different types of cargo passing by. Some of the cargo includes live cattle, coal, cars, and finally the caboose.

The crossing is in the category informational picture books. The illustrator created outstanding graphics to use with the text. The illustrations are so realistic it could almost be a photograph. The pictures and the text go together extremely well. I thought that it was really cool that the author made each of the different cargo trucks to show the reader. There are many diagonal lines to express the movement of the train puffing down the tracks. It was also cool that some of the cars were named then it went and said two or three numbers like a character was counting as they passed. I really liked this book it can be used for multiple things in a lesson.

[Tahya Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be a perfect book for little boys. It has all kinds of information about different cargo trains carry. I feel like boys would be super interested in this book and it can even help them with real life. When they see trains in reality, they will be working on their knowledge about the different cargo that is on that specific train. I wouldn't recommend it to a class because it wouldn't catch everyone's attention not unless the teacher was talking about trains. Other than that, I would keep it for an at-home read.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a primary poem with world class illustrations. It's full of train terminology, never a strong personal interst, expertly presented. I have to admit that when it came to this book, I was lost in the illustrations, completely swept away.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - incredible illustrations. Text is a poem with excellent cadence - you feel like you're on a train. My toddler loves this book and has us read it over and over.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

train, people watching a train go by - counting 100 cars and noticing what types of cars and what they carry, rhyming

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a rhythm to this book that
Is evocative of a train starting up from a stop. I love this book.

[Lowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love the illustrations in this simple kids book.

[Ilene Fey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute favorite for our train loving kids

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another of my son's favourites. The art is breathtaking.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning, vivid illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline for Booth's poem about watching a freight train go by.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ibatoulline's paintings beautifully bring Philip Booth's 1953 poem to life.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved the 1950's style illustrations, but the poem got a little annoying.