A Cow on the Line and Other Thomas the Tank Engine Stories (Thomas & Friends) (Pictureback(R))

Unlike many of the other picture books from Random House, this book is illustrated with pictures from the TV show. My sons really lit up when they recognized the stories on TV from our bedtime reading. There are four stories: Double Trouble A Cow on the Line Old Iron Percy Takes the Plunge We have several other Thomas books that were regulars in our bedtime reading collection. I say "were" because my sons are now 5-years old and 4-years old and both are a little too old for these picture books. Aim to read these with your 2-3-year olds.

This book is nice because it has several stories. If you think you're going to read ONE story at a time, be advised, you'll probably have to read clear to the end of the book every time. Reading Thomas books has become our pre-naptime routine--what a great way for Grammy and grandson to bond!

A very nice story for 3-year-old fan of Thomas trains, videos, puzzles, books and pjs.

Do you know of a young child who enjoys the "Thomas the Tank Engine" segments on the PBS show "Shining Time Station"? Does this child enjoy having stories read to him or her? Then "A Cow on the Line" would be a great addition to the child's library. This book features 42 photographs from the Britt Allcroft video productions on its 32 pages. All photos are quite clear. The pictures are well placed to keep the attention of young listeners. Because the text could serve as a script for the television segments, this is a "read to me" book. A strong third- or fourth-grade reader could handle the text, but the sentence structure and phrasing is beyond beginning readers. As listed above, the book contains 4 stories. Only one features Thomas -- Percy and Edward take the spotlight in this book. The stories are true to the nature of the "Thomas" series and are a delight to read. And if your child is like the two year old in our house, he or she won't even mind if you don't sound like Ringo Starr or George Carlin (the video narrators) when you read the stories!