I Can Make a Train Noise

by Michael Emberley, Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick

In this rhythmic read-aloud, all you need is an imagination to experience the thrill of a great train ride.

When a girl shouts "I can make a train noise, now!" her imagination transforms a coffee shop into a zooming train, and her words clickity-clack across the tracks and blare like a train horn.

In a flash, salt shakers and ketchup bottles become skyscrapers, and the girl's voice rattles along the tracks with "I can make a train noise I can make a train noise." Her voice whistles "Nowowwwwww!" The propulsive, rhythmic text that mimics train sounds is sure to captivate all kids, pair it with gorgeously detailed artwork and you have a read-aloud like no other.

Michael Emberley, is the author and artist of many acclaimed children's books, including most notably It's Perfectly Normal.

Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick is one of Ireland's most distinguished illustrators of books for children.


A BookPage Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

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

32 pages, Hardcover

Published July 27, 2021

About the author

Michael Emberley is the illustrator of numerous books for children. He lives in Ireland.

Reviews

[Ericka B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often write reviews for picture books, but I HAD to counteract some of these 1 or 2 star reviews with a full 5 for this one. This book is so brilliant... I understand how the repetitive title phrase "I Can Make a Train Noise" can come across as annoying if you are just doing a quick read through, but when you look carefully at how the words move on the page in relation to illustrations mimicking the young child's imagination, it is perfection.

This is a truly clever book and I think it would make for a fun, jaunty story time read-aloud, or is perfect for a one on one read to discuss how the illustrations and the rhythm of the repeated phrase change to reflect the movement of the imaginary train. And of course, to make a train noise...

[Melki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fine illustrations keep this one from earning one star, as the "story" consists of the title, repeated ad infinitum. This wins my vote for most annoying read-aloud EVER!

(It's even worse than the imaginary book called, "Are We There YET?")

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple words, but an amazing array of how the words are said. Lots of fun to read aloud and grab your train whistle for some added enjoyment.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little girl enters a crowded cafe with her family, insisting that she can make a train noise. As they take off their coats and sit at a table, the little girl continues to state that she can make a train noise, and that she will do it NOW! Jumping down from her chair, her imagination takes over as all of the customers form a line and quickly transform into passengers on a train. The train moves through a city formed from kitchen utensils, ketchup and mustard. It makes its way out in realistic oceanside settings and mountains with prairies. As the train slows to a stop, readers return to the bustling restaurant where everyone is talking about trains now.

This picture book is written in very simple lines, repeating “I can make a train noise” and “Now!” again and again. Using simple punctuation to slow the lines down or speed them up, the rhythm the repeating lines make is captivating and very impactful. This is a picture book that is ideal to share aloud and then share it again with the group joining in with the repeating lines. It’s a book that begs to be done aloud.

The illustrations are a large part of the success of this book. Given the simplicity of the text, they carry the weight of the story and the little girl’s imagination. I love the nod to In the Night Kitchen with the city made of condiments and kitchen gear. The transformation of cafe to train is joyous and fun, with everyone happily going along for the ride together. The speech bubbles in the cafe scenes are very effective and done only in images.

A grand ride on a little girl’s imagination. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A diner filled with grumpy/worried people gets swept up in one child's insistent proclamation. The illustrations and idea were funny, but I expect my amusement was helped by the fact that I (thankfully, may I add) don't have to deal with repeated, shouted phrases from small humans. Some parents of toddlers may find the encouragement of this sort of behavior might be too much for comfort.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I CAN MAKE A TRAIN NOISE is a clever book. I love this for train fans (obviously). Any toddler or preschooler who loves trains would have fun with the main character’s imagination and the trains. I also love this for almost readers, about to learn to readers - kids who are around 5 or 6. The repetition would allow them to read it independently, but I love the way the author plays with the text to encourage you to read it at different volumes and at difference speeds. This would encourage the new reader to look closely and follow the words. A clever and playful read aloud for any train fan.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this to my 5 yr old who is obsessed with all things trains, he even asked me to stop reading it multiple times lol. It’s the same phrase over and over and over. I cannot fathom spending $18 on this hardback, highway robbery! It’s literally the same phrase over and over.

[Kiran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nice illustrations but horribly repetitive. Even reading it with different inflections, pacing or at varying volume of your voice, it's just really boring. Two thumbs down.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Same sentence over and over. The illustrations were really great but there was no storyline.

[Kim · Rating 1 out of 5]

Both toddler and adult confused by this one. Disliked in unison.

[Donna · Rating 1 out of 5]

My child brought this home from his school library to read. He is in second grade, and he is required to read nightly to improve his reading skills. He didn't read it until he got home. That night, I said to him, "Let's read your new book." He said, "ok, it's called 'I Can Make a Train Noise,' and that's all it says through the whole book." I said, "No way, really?!" I look at the thickness before opening. "Look how thick it is. It must have some other words in it." I say. He opens it up and starts reading. Repeating the sentence, I can make a train noise over and over while turning 32 pages.
We start laughing and are dumbfounded by this one. Why would a publisher agree to put this book out? Come on. This book is geared towards kids in the early grades and these kids are new readers. They need to read a variety of words and need books that get them excited about reading, with fun stories and colorful pictures.
This is the most boring, annoying book for my child to read a loud. He hated the book and the boring drab illustrations. He didn't care about the flow of the words in relation to the illustrations. He just wants to read a fun, enjoyable story to practice reading!
Total waste of print resources. Total disappointment. Makes me mad someone made money off this junk. Burn it.

[The Library Lady · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is credited to Michael Emberly and Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick, but it's Fitzpatrick who should get top billing, because the sole text in this book is the title phrase, repeated over and over again. And it's wonderful artwork, complete with touches in the cityscapes that I think are a homage to the food city in Maurice Sendak's immortal In the Night Kitchen.

That said,this is close to a wordless book (not a favorite book type of mine) and it's really up to the reader/listener to create the dialogue. I'm not sure if there's a big audience for that, even with the train theme.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alright, full disclosure. I was disappointed in this book when I first read it. I just didn't get it.

BUT

I had read it in my head only! I then read it out loud with the story times, and OH! There's the train noise!! As a storytime read, it's really good for participation. Not much of a plot - it's really more about a love of trains and making noises. I still don't hear a whistle or chime or something in the little girl's Now! but I can definitely get my group of listeners helping me make a train engine noise. There's a bonus for language building, in having the group change speed or pitch to match the pictures and movement of the train according to what the words are doing on the page (bigger or smaller font, closer together, etc.). A good read for my younger train enthusiasts.

[Josianne Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant work by Marie-Louise Fitzpatrick! Her illustrations are wonderful and perfectly match the rhythm of the words. My favorite is the spread where the train is slowing down as it goes into the station. After all the color in the preceding pages, this spread is in somber sepia. And then she goes to a quiet blue with the little girl who "can make a train noise" right at the end of the strip, over the word "now!" her little hand outstretched in a stop.

Wouldn't want to be the parent who has to repeat the words over and over and over again though, especially because if it becomes a child favorite. Have a big glass of water at hand!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This picture book has fun illustrations, but the text just repeats "I can make a train noise" over and over again. The words vary in size and visual speed, showing how to change the pace and emphasis while reading this aloud, but even though a very dedicated performer might enjoy chanting the text like the rhythm and movement of a train, almost all parents will find this insufferable. Most children will find this boring after several pages, let alone thirty-two, and it's unnecessarily experimental.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young girl and her family go to a cafe under the train tracks. She begins chanting "I can make a train noise" and the cafe with the passengers transforms into a train ride with the girl at the controls. She continues chanting those words to mimic train sounds while the train continues on its journey. Although the text doesn't vary, the illustrations are detailed and imaginative. A picture book that will be especially appreciated by train enthusiasts.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Upon entering a cafe, a girl shouts, "I can make a train noise," and the cafe transforms into a zooming train ride. I thought it was going to be characters making different train noises, like chugga-chugga-choo-choo, but it's mostly just repeating "I can make a train noise" at different volumes and rhythms. Could be good for a class studying the art of picture books about how one phrase can be transformed throughout a story.

[Melissa the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so original and interesting. I love how it sucks you into the world of a child's imagination, and the creative way that the author/illustrator use the phrase "I can make a train noise" to imitate the sound of a train. The words become onomatopoeia as the train comes and goes, gets faster and slower, goes through a tunnel, and pulls into the station. I can't wait to try this one out in storytime!

[Darlene Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever. And then some. Sometimes it takes a persistent and creative toddler to rouse a room full of
diners. This would be a fun read aloud for dramatic re-enactment after children are familiar with the story taking place in the illustrations. Some experience with train travel would help, too. I love the Doppler effect, the tunnel amplified train sounds, and the regular rhythm on a flat straight away.

[Cynthia June Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I can make a train noise" is pretty much all the text. Train noise in the coffee shop; the child's imagination takes over and the world is her train.
Text design is wonderful, looks like a concrete poem. (Effect will be lost on children.)
Kinda boring as a read-aloud unless you want a VERY active and Interactive event.
Bold illustrations would work in a group setting.
A great testament to the power of imagination.

[Katy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I picked it from the library because there seemed to be very little words and interesting pictures. I did not look closely, so I did not notice that the book's title is in fact the only words in the book... Just over and over....and over.... So interestingly enough there are no actual train noises in the book which was a bit disappointing. There was some enjoyment trying to change up how I read the phrase 'i can make a train noise'

[Julie Rowan-Zoch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book because it’s absolutely perfect for storytime! I loved reading books with toddlers/pre-schoolers in the bookstore, but I have not been able to since the pandemic and wow, do I miss it! So this will be on the tippy-top of my list when we start up again! What a fantastic way to engage kids with crescendo/de-crescendo, beautiful visuals, and physical movement! Woohoo!!!

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very creative book in which repeated phrases of "I can make a train noise" at various speeds and volumes echo the chugging of a train. A little girl imagines the café is a train, and it seems the whole café gets swept along with her. Very imaginative and fun. I'm not 100% clear on how I'd intonate certain pages to fit with the train sounds, but overall a fun concept.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be a fun book to use as an exercise in a drama class about reading with expression.
It could be used in a poetry class to talk about spacing and punctuation and even font size and how that affects things.
And it's also fun with little ones who can help you say the words as you cue them faster or slower, softer or louder, up and down.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and goofy concept for a book! I think it would be a really fun read aloud for a story time or a class. There are all kinds of effects you can do as you say the repeated words. With a class, I might have imaginary volume and speed buttons to make everyone's train noises get slower as we get into the station or quieter as it speeds into the distance.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reality and imagination merge as a young girl enters a coffee shop under a train bridge with her parents. The title is nearly the only words repeated throughout as the kids and maybe (?) some adults join her on a train trip. There's a transition from coffee shop to train car and back at both the beginning and then end of the story.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

James asked for this book over and over the past couple of days! I think he really likes the rhythm of the book. 5 stars because James loves it so much! As the reader, it is a little confusing to understand what the author is trying to have come across. But once understood, it’s magical for reader and listener.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family with a young girl enters a noisy cafe under train tracks. She is insistent that she can make a train noise. She says this louder and louder until she has most everyone's attention. She repeats the phrase over and over and, when read aloud, this pattern will sound just like a train!

Highly recommended for storytime!

[Nanny B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only seven words.....but the pictures are great. It starts with the shop filling with gloomy, distracted customers. A young child takes them on an imaginative train ride with a ketchup and a cheese grater skyscraper. As the train ride ends, the excitement can be seen on the faces of the customers now who are all thinking and talking of trains.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely, fundamentally weird in the best way. One of those books that could be the greatest storytime read of all time, but you would have to ABSOLUTELY know your crowd and no that they're going to go with it and chant "I can make a train noise" to the rhythm with you. Picture book authors, I am begging you, stay weird.