All Aboard!

by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

From the creators of What Can a Crane Pick Up? comes a train-ride adventure—perfect for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site.

In this inviting, rhyming read-aloud, two kids become travel buddies as they watch cities and landscapes and other hard-working trains rush by, and also observe the conductor and funny goings-on inside the train, all illustrated in a fresh, hip, colorful style. Hop aboard!

"The  chugga-chugga  beat and appealing anthropomorphized trains will charm young train-lovers in this entertaining title that’s a perfect fit for storytime." --Booklist

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Trains, Transport, Travel, Storytime, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2014

About the author

Rebecca is a poet and picture book author of such titles as What is Science? (a 2006 Subaru SB&F prize finalist), and Lemonade Sun (an American Booksellers "Pick of the Lists"). Her work is featured widely in poetry anthologies and textbooks. Rebecca promotes children's poetry, giving presentations and workshops to students, teachers, librarians and writers. She lives in Indiana.

Reviews

[Carol Farrington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be somewhat cluttered, both with multiple different pictures on a page and a lot of words. I find this type of book is difficult for kids to attend to because they don’t know where to look.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even busier and more crammed full of words than "What Can a Crane Pick Up?", this collaboration between Lowery & Dotlich is only for die-hard train fans.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute. informative.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kid rides the train. Sees all kinds of sights. It arrives at the other end where there is a camp.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

the illustrations in this deserves five stars on its own but the plot was also really good <3

[Dayna Derichs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rationale for choosing this book:

This book is in the collection of books written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. As the adventures take off in this story, you could use it to review a variety of grammar skills. If you have read other books by this author, students will be engaged by the vibrant pictures and simple story, so adding a grammar lesson to this read aloud would work nicely.

Opening Moves:

Alerting the students to the various grammar and figurative language structures used in this book will help them see how those forms of language can be used in a variety of ways.

Today we are going to read the book, All Aboard! . We have been learning about _________. (The teacher can choose the grammar skill or figurative language they want the students to review. Some good choices would be prepositions, onomatopoeia, nouns, or verbs as these are all plentiful in the book.)
Who can tell me about ____________? (Again, this is the same skill the teacher mentioned in the previous statement.)
Turn and tell your neighbor some examples of ____________. (The same skill the teacher mentioned in the previous statement.)
As we read today, let’s listen for more examples of ____________. (The same skill the teacher mentioned in the previous statement.)
When you hear an example, raise your hand and we will have you share it with us.

Resources:

Pinnell, G. S., & Fountas, I. C. (2006). Engaging readers in thinking and talking about texts through interactive read aloud. Teaching for comprehending and fluency: Thinking, talking, and writing about reading, k-8. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Publishing.

[Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dream of an alternate timeline, where America has a robust and effective passenger rail system. One that can effectively transport people to where they need to go in a timely manner. Sure, the book touches upon the freight which dominates the rail system in reality, but only briefly.

The ghost town is an interesting landmark for the train to pass. Are we to believe that the railroad brought economic ruin to the town and it no longer stops there, or did the railroad never stop at that now desolate settlement?

Look fast or you'll miss them! Click-clackity-click.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun rhyming text and clear illustrations - a nice short story for preschool story time.

Edited 4/7/2022:
I just reread this in preparation for next week's story time and realized that there's no people of color in the entire book. Every passenger and worker, even the people waiting for friends/family when the train pulls into the station are all white. We, as a society, have got to do better. Children's literature as an industry has got to do better!

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rhyme-filled train adventure will keep readers engaged from beginning to end as they pass through ghost towns, explore the various things I train can carry, and experience a visit from a friendly mechanic. Accessible illustrations and plenty of fun sound effects are sure to win over even the littlest listeners.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 3 out of 5]

With distinctive illustrations from Mike Lowery (Ribbit, Rabbit), All Aboard celebrates a train ride as we see humans on the train and learn what else is transported by trains as it passes through many locations. Fun book for a transportation unit.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one even MORE than WHAT CAN A CRANE PICK UP! Both will appeal to the same audience--kids who love fun words and rhyme, and especially kids fascinated with transportation. The text is fun but also quite beautiful, and the sound effects are great!

[Jschofi4 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant cadence and informative text appropriate for preschool and early elementary readalouds, this is a good addition to any train or vehicle story time. Some of the spreads were too busy for my taste, and the handwritten lettering felt sloppy, but the cadence of the text made up for it.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

With really adorable pictures and catchy phrases, children are whisked away on a train adventure. The colors are lovely and I love that the little speech bubbles rhyme with the text.
Recommended for ages 4+

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be fun to do with all the signs.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for young children who like trains- there is a lot of interaction in the story and fun pictures and word bubbles to keep children interested. Great for ECE ages!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's possible that I liked this one so much because I love trains. But the illustrations are fun too, and so is the rhyme.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of rhyming verse but Dotlich did a nice job with the text.

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that the speech bubbles are part of the main rhyming text. It helps with the flow of reading. I'm going to try it out at Storytime.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Illustrations and rhyming text show two boys who meet on a train ride--as they pass through various landscapes and by other hard-working trains--on their way to camp"-- Provided by publisher.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2* art
3* story/rhyme

[Hanna Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little more diversity please.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Train travel across the open plains leads to friendship and adventure for two travelers. Sights, and sounds makes for a pleasurable ride from beginning to end.

[The Book Box]

Mama got this for me from the library and I've been asking for it every night! We had to buy our own copy because I love it so much.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A train ride adventure great for reading aloud to little ones.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find so many good storytime books on Edelweiss! This one would be fun to read with sound effects for a train theme. It’s perfect because it’s short, has good pictures and rhymes. I think kids will find this one very engaging.