Prairie Train

Both the text and illustrations are enjoyable in this book. The text is rich with details and analogies. American Girls fans--and future American Girls fans--will appreciate the descriptions of the girl's outfit--savoring, for instance, her cranberry coat. They'll also enjoy the girl's bravery and the kindness of the woman sitting across from her when the train stops for a snowdrift and sympathize with the girl's desire to reach her grandmother. Railfans, like my four-year-old son, will appreciate the beauty and detail of the Great Northern train. There's also plenty of use of prairie imagery. The cold weather, warm coat, and warm afghan in the story make this a cozy read for chilly days. Highly recommended for all sorts of people!

This is a great little gem of a book. All the grandparents out there who ever took a train ride as a child will undoubtedly enjoy reading this to their grandchildren. Trains are such compelling mechanisms, after all, and the story of a young girl taking her first train ride alone is a great combination. The illustrations are rich and realistic. Another reviewer was put in mind of Chris Van Allsburg, as was I. These illustrations are slightly softer but no less impressive. They pair nostalgic images with the text, resulting in a verbal and visual trip to a bygone era.

This book was a treat to read from the first time we got it out of the library; it has only grown on me more since then. The story begins with "Shhh, listen --" and the illustration of the girl stretched out with her ear pressed down to the floor listening to the train approach is so accurate, it pulls you straight in to her world. It's easy for any young person to feel that she is there right alongside the girl in the book. The author conveys the sights and sounds of a train ride so well that I am always transported back to my own train journeys, even though I myself have never been stuck on the tracks in the middle of a blizzard (the events of the book are based on a true story). The details and imagery are vivid and perfect and the actions of the young girl riding alone so wonderfully recall what any of us would do at that age -- marvel at the astonishingly perfect shape of sugar cubes, wave at the cows as we pass, press our nose to the glass and watch the snow magically soften and whiten the world, slide off the seat and bump-tumble to the floor when the train suddenly stops... This book is wonderful to share with any young child and will increase their appreciation for trains, for travel, and for the up and down feelings that come when doing something new as well as the ultimate joy and triumph of achieving something on your own. An enthusiastic 5 stars.

All Aboard! Join a little girl as she travels by train from the country to see her grandmother who lives in the city. The little girl is having lots of fun and meeting lots of nice people. She has her dinner on the train. She gets to order what she likes and has ice cream for desert. All is well until a snow storm forces the train to make an emergency stop. Will grandma still be waiting for the little girl at the end of the line? Read this exciting picture book to find out! The book moved at a fast pace. The illustrations were very detailed. I would recommend this book to all kids who are interested in trains. The tale is very exciting.

There is something deeply rewarding about author Marsha Wilson Chall's recent, "Prairie Train". Once you've finished the book you may find yourself yearning to take in some of the sights, sounds, and feelings the story evokes. You will certainly wish that you yourself could take a trip such as the one taken by the heroine of the tale. The danger of writing any book that takes place in the 1920s or 30s is that it could easily be so steeped in nostalgia as to be impossible for kids to connect with. With "Prairie Train" such fears are groundless. Our first image of our young female heroine is of her lying on a wooden slatted floor. There is a look of anticipation on her face as she listens to the sounds of the Great Northern train going, "Clackety clack clack clack". The next morning she's aboard the train, going to see her grandmother at the end of the line. Her mother (decked out in a fabulous ensemble that I personally would kill to get my hands on) runs alongside until she is gone. On board, the girl takes stock of her clothing and possessions. She reads the signs painted on the sides of barns and watches the countryside pass. She gets to go to the dining car all by herself and surreptitiously slip some five sugar cubes into her coin purse (we won't consider what may happen to those cubes later). Everything is delightful until the train screeches to a halt due to too much snow on the track. The girl is far less confident at this point, but a grandmotherly figure sitting across the seat offers to show her how to knit. Then a boy with a harmonica plays a tune and things start perking up. The track is cleared and the old woman, before getting off at her stop, gives the girl the afghan she finished. Finally the train enters St. Paul Union Depot (yay Minnesota!) and the girl descends like a princess to the arms of her waiting grandmother below. Before I praise anything else, I'd just like to thank the fates that John Thompson was the illustrator on this puppy. The pictures in this book are absolutely amazing in many ways. I've always been a fan of realistic illustrations in books for children (Chris Van Allburg and that type of stuff) and Thompson does not disappoint. The clothing worn by characters in this tale is spot on. The girl herself is in a cranberry colored coat, white gloves, and shiny patent leather shoes. The wool beret on her head is so well illustrated that you can practically make out its woolen stitches. Each character presented here looks as if they'd have entire stories to tell, if only you cared to ask. But my favorite picture, bar none, is the shot of the girl bursting into song next to the nice lady on the train as a nearby boy plays a silver harmonica. The expression of the girl, her hands, and her mouth, is so authentic and so realistic (it looks like you've caught her mid-note) that I can't help but assume that Thompson was working from a photograph. I shouldn't be too surprised that these pictures are as great as they a