Train Ride

by John Steptoe

A Brooklyn youth convinces his friends that he can take them on a train ride into downtown Manhattan

Genres: Picture Books

31 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

John Steptoe was an award-winning author and illustrator of children's books from New York City. He began working on his first children's book, Stevie, while still a teenager and achieved great success during his tragically short career, encouraging the advancement of African American culture by producing work about the African American experience that children could appreciate. Recipient of two Coretta Scott King Awards and two Caldecott Honors, Steptoe was posthumously honored by the creation of the John Steptoe New Talent Award, an award designated annually by the Coretta Scott King Award Task Force. Steptoe's best known work is Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, for which he won his second Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award.

Reviews

[Katu Khan · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Steptoe's Train Ride. I have to say that it was a personal adventure as well as a vicarious one. Steptoe creates a vivid tale with his expressionistic drawings and piquant lines. I enjoyed this read at such a late age honestly. It made me reminisce upon a childhood long gone. I recommend it for anyone who enjoys a fun, short, urban childen story.

[Jesse McMorris · Rating 4 out of 5]

- In Train Ride four young boys get dared to sneak onto the train and ride into the city and end up going on an adventure to find their way back home. Getting to the city was easy, but the hard part was finding their way back after leaving the train station to adventure in the city. Steptoe illustrated Train Ride by painting with combinations of oil paints and pastels in basic vibrant colors. The lines are thick but blur in with the illustration and it makes for an abstract picture. The faces of the characters are also undefined, but with the words there is no trouble experiencing the illustrations. The teachable moment is that maybe sometimes you should go on an adventure, because that is better than sitting down and doing nothing. I loved this book it was touching and it made me smile a lot, because the story is adorable.