"Each spread chronicles the parallel journeys of the titular trains. On the left, a streamlined train stretches against expansive vistas, while, on the right, a toy wooden locomotive travels on familiar domestic turf, locations wittily chosen to mimic the path of its mammoth modern counterpart," said PW in a Best Books citation. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
PreS-K-Two trains are going west, through tunnels, over rivers, in rain and snow, over mountains until they reach the end of their journey. Brown's poem does not always scan easily, but for the most part, it reflects the rhythm of the moving vehicles. The Dillons have created two very different trains: on the left, a real one travels through the countryside; on the right, a toy travels through a house. The illustrations are rich in color and deceptively simple. Design elements such as round purple trees on the real train side carry over to the toy train side as a bowl of plums. Toddlers will enjoy listening to the poem and finding the trains. Preschoolers will look for more parallels.-Ann Cook, formerly at Winter Park Public Library, FL Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
A Child Magazine Best Book of 2001 Pick
Back in print with a fresh new look, Brown's tale of a "streamlined train" and a "little old train" is given an inventive twist by the Dillons. Here, they envision parallel journeys, one real and one fanciful. The sleek and striking new artwork invites all aboard for a journey of the imagination.
A handsome reinterpretation.” — ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Sure to delight yet another generation of children.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This beautiful new edition is in the same spirit as Brown’s Goodnight Moon and should please the same broad audience. It’s wonderful to have it back in such appropriate, and handsome, new garb.” — Horn Book (starred review)
This is a storytime winner…Blocky clear shapes, vivid colors, and simple designs make each page burst with an energy that will appeal to the smallest child.
This beautiful new edition is in the same spirit as Brown’s Goodnight Moon and should please the same broad audience. It’s wonderful to have it back in such appropriate, and handsome, new garb.
Horn Book (starred review)
This is a storytime winner…Blocky clear shapes, vivid colors, and simple designs make each page burst with an energy that will appeal to the smallest child.
★ 2019-10-23
"Two little trains / went down the track, / two little trains went West. // PUFF PUFF PUFF / CHUG CHUG CHUG / two little trains to the West." Over hills and through rain, snow, night, and wind, the trains—one a steam engine, the other a streamliner—travel. Brown uses onomatopoeia to punctuate the narrative while Pizzoli exploits it to differentiate the two locomotives. He makes every spread a visual play on contrasts, from the different train stylizations and type styles (sans serif for the streamliner's "PUFF" and serif for the steam engine's "CHUG") to the complementary color palettes. The bold illustrations, created with rubber stamps and Photoshop, are done in a simplified style. Accessible, appealing, and understandable, both artwork and text are deceivingly simple, belying the sophisticated nature of each. Lively, rhythmic, and often rhyming text propels trains and readers down the tracks while evocative descriptions work within the confines of a few phrases per page. Skillfully designed and composed, Pizzoli's cheerful interpretation is thoroughly modern and charming.
Swoonworthy for train lovers and preschoolers alike. (Picture book. 3-7)
