Casey Jones

by Stephen Krensky (Adapter)

Presents the life of the railroad engineer who was famous for always bringing his train in on time and whose brave actions during his last ride on the Cannonball Express saved the lives of all of the passengers and inspired the well-known ballad.

Genres: Picture Books, Historical Fiction

48 pages, Library Binding

First published October 15, 2006

Reviews

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a really great book about Casey Jones that I had read as a child and unfortunately I haven't been able to find it since. Instead while on vacation in Manitou Springs, the home of The Broadmoor Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway, I found this version in one of the free libraries.

The book starts off with an introduction that helps to explain what folktales and tall tales are. It then goes into giving a very small bit of information that Casey Jones was an actual man, what he was known for and what he dealt with. And in a sense they give away the end of the story but also provide the reader that there is "A Ballad of Casey Jones" if they should be interested in looking it up and listening to it.

As for the actual book it feels like it is a chapter book format for young readers but also one that is an I Can Learn To Read one as well. Each spread of page has a full page illustration on one side while the other is dedicated to the text with words that are short, easy to comprehend and and easy to read thus giving the reader plenty of steam to finish the story.

Again the book has full page illustrations although in a few cases they stretch over both pages with the text on top or an inclusion of a map in one place. The human characters aren't fully realistic and there is just something about their portrayal that makes it feel off.

All in all the book was a pretty decent start but again I have read one that was better. As for other readers they will find a Further Reading list in the back if they are interested in getting to know this famous engineer just a bit more.

[Carmen Zavala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casey Jones is a story I had always remembered as being a part of my childhood memories, but until reading it again, I didn't remember much about it. It is a great tale of an American hero. I'm not sure how entirely appropriate it is as a children's story due to the nature of the ending. Perhaps the more kid-friendly retelling of the story is the 1950 Disney cartoon, The Brave Engineer. However, the story remains more accurate with the actual folktale. This story exemplifies the importance of putting others before yourself.

[Stephen Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very educational book, that I've used in many of my substitute teaching days. It really peak some students interest and they further researched the topic. Excellent book! Thank you Franklin Public Library for the loan.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear pictures and print bring to life the folklore of Casey Jones.