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Red Train
This big board book features simple, rhythmic text and big, graphic trains painted by Ed Vere, an established illustrator on the Orchard list.
One train. Red train.
Chugga...
Two trains. Orange trains.
Chugga-chugga...
This is the perfect book for toddlers because...toddlers LOVE trains! The rolling, rhythmic text, with its onomatopoeic sounds, is fun to read aloud. And the big, eye-catching trains by Ed Vere are painted in a simple, graphic style. All aboard, everyone! A rainbow of trains is at the station, ready to go!
One train. Red train.
Chugga...
Two trains. Orange trains.
Chugga-chugga...
This is the perfect book for toddlers because...toddlers LOVE trains! The rolling, rhythmic text, with its onomatopoeic sounds, is fun to read aloud. And the big, eye-catching trains by Ed Vere are painted in a simple, graphic style. All aboard, everyone! A rainbow of trains is at the station, ready to go!
8 pages, Board Book
First published August 1, 2003
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 21, 2009
This book really pissed me off when I first read it. I wanted to hurtle it across the room. It seemed like the most ostentatious piece of poop. The art work was shoddy, the story was lame and the whole thing reeked of the sort of knuckleheaded randomness that people try to subject kids to in a vain effort to connect to their eternally flitting minds.
But then I read it again. And again. Because that’s what you do with a sixteen month old boy. Once won’t do and you better unleash some choo choo whistle sounds every time you encounter a train on the pages. And the funny thing was, once I read it a few times I begin to latch on to a humble genius and understated social message at its core.
Every page has a train on it and a number and type of animal and a color. So, for example, train two might be filled with dogs and be colored blue, train three might have penguins and be colored red. And it’s laid out just like that, here is an approximation of the language: Train four, lamb train, blue train, chugga chugga.
Man, it hurt my brain at first. Sensory overload. I mean surely the animals and the numbers were enough, but a chugga chugga and a color too? But finally it started to make sense and I even felt a sense of gratitude for the little book. In a world where kids are programmed to be flag waving true believing consumers its silly surrealism began to seem mind-expanding even relatively anarchic. But then the real kicker came on the last pages. All the train animals were gathered together on a wonderful new train and all was peaceful and gleeful as a Sunday outing and the lamb was with the lion and no blood was shed. And get this: they were riding the rainbow train! The Rainbow train. Oh, the beauty of it. Long may the Rainbow Train ride in the hearts of children everywhere. Chugga Chugga!
But then I read it again. And again. Because that’s what you do with a sixteen month old boy. Once won’t do and you better unleash some choo choo whistle sounds every time you encounter a train on the pages. And the funny thing was, once I read it a few times I begin to latch on to a humble genius and understated social message at its core.
Every page has a train on it and a number and type of animal and a color. So, for example, train two might be filled with dogs and be colored blue, train three might have penguins and be colored red. And it’s laid out just like that, here is an approximation of the language: Train four, lamb train, blue train, chugga chugga.
Man, it hurt my brain at first. Sensory overload. I mean surely the animals and the numbers were enough, but a chugga chugga and a color too? But finally it started to make sense and I even felt a sense of gratitude for the little book. In a world where kids are programmed to be flag waving true believing consumers its silly surrealism began to seem mind-expanding even relatively anarchic. But then the real kicker came on the last pages. All the train animals were gathered together on a wonderful new train and all was peaceful and gleeful as a Sunday outing and the lamb was with the lion and no blood was shed. And get this: they were riding the rainbow train! The Rainbow train. Oh, the beauty of it. Long may the Rainbow Train ride in the hearts of children everywhere. Chugga Chugga!
September 2, 2016
All my kids loved this. Bright colors, simple illustrations, fun.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews