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Thomas and Friends
Thomas the Tank Engine: The Very First Stories
With the first four tales ever written about Thomas the Tank Engine and illustrated with the art from the original book, this hardcover storybook is a must-have for every Thomas & Friends fan! First published in 1946, the stories launched Thomas firmly into the hearts of countless train-loving little boys and girls and their families, where he has remained ever since. This beautifully designed new version of timeless favorite tales makes it a classic for today, tomorrow, and always!
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
37 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2015
4 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
W. Awdry
1,114 books110 followersWilbert Vere Awdry, OBE, better known as the Rev. W. Awdry, was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.
The characters that would make Awdry famous, and the first stories featuring them, were invented in 1943 to amuse his son Christopher during a bout of measles. The first book (The Three Railway Engines) was published in 1945, and by the time Awdry stopped writing in 1972, The Railway Series numbered 26 books. Christopher subsequently added further books to the series.
The characters that would make Awdry famous, and the first stories featuring them, were invented in 1943 to amuse his son Christopher during a bout of measles. The first book (The Three Railway Engines) was published in 1945, and by the time Awdry stopped writing in 1972, The Railway Series numbered 26 books. Christopher subsequently added further books to the series.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 25, 2017
Everyone of my English friends remembers Thomas with the same 'glow' that I remember (for example) Peanuts and Charlie Brown. I decided to finally read the very first Thomas adventures and was struck by two perspectives: first - Thomas seems to embody the 'stiff upper lip' that many of my English friends have - I will not complain about how hard a task is - I will get it done; second - in order for anything to run smoothly one must learn from 'honest' mistakes; if one does learn from such mistakes then the lesson will contribute to facing challenges that one will face in the future. Very glad I 'tracked' this classic into my 'finished reading list!
February 18, 2020
Nostalgic!
Read this to my daughter, from the 1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up list. Sort of. This was the only version my library carried.
This review and more like it can be found at Lazy Day Literature
This is a must-own for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine. It includes the first four stories about Thomas that were published in 1946 with the original illustrations from C. Reginald Dalby.
Thomas is a new tank engine and is a young, boastful thing that gets himself into some less than fun situations and learns some important lessons about how to be a truly useful engine throughout these four short stories.
The classic illustrations and story were extra nostalgic for me since I grew up in a time when Thomas was very popular. My daughter was not previously aware of Thomas as a character other than seeing the little train toys here and there but enjoyed the story and thought that Thomas was rather silly at times.
We especially loved the map of the island and all the rail lines on the end pages!
Read this to my daughter, from the 1001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up list. Sort of. This was the only version my library carried.
This review and more like it can be found at Lazy Day Literature
This is a must-own for fans of Thomas the Tank Engine. It includes the first four stories about Thomas that were published in 1946 with the original illustrations from C. Reginald Dalby.
Thomas is a new tank engine and is a young, boastful thing that gets himself into some less than fun situations and learns some important lessons about how to be a truly useful engine throughout these four short stories.
The classic illustrations and story were extra nostalgic for me since I grew up in a time when Thomas was very popular. My daughter was not previously aware of Thomas as a character other than seeing the little train toys here and there but enjoyed the story and thought that Thomas was rather silly at times.
We especially loved the map of the island and all the rail lines on the end pages!
July 22, 2017
My two year old adores the Thomas series. This book contains the first four stories written about Thomas. He loves this book! I enjoy the stories, too. When toddlers ask for the same stories over and over again it is a definite bonus when the stories are longer and filled with interesting volcabulary. :)
September 8, 2019
So if like us, you've read every Thomas collection you could get your hands on before this one, you'll have encountered these stories before. Thomas is being very cheeky in these stories. Oz and I skipped the last one because we had read it recently in a different collection. But if you're starting out with Thomas, you would probably be okay to start with this one.
August 6, 2022
1001 Children's Books To Read Before You Grow Up - #6
October 9, 2016
The stories were simple, introducing Thomas and building on one another. I recognized several of them from having been included in different episodes and movies that my son has watched. However, I couldn't give it a higher rating right now because it was too much text and not enough pictures to hold my son's attention. He got really excited when he saw the cover, but couldn't make it through the stories due to the lack of illustrations and the amount of text to get through before turning each page. We'll have to revisit it when he's a bit older. For now, the map on the cover linings was the most interesting part of the book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews