Thomas and the Castle

What an excellent book. This sturdy 32 page hardback is simply a wonderful addition to any Thomas fan's library. First, it has some of the best artwork we have ever seen in a Thomas book. The drawings are large, colorful and rich, and unlike some other books where the Steamies are shown from relatively far away, in this one the Engines are shown up close. Secondly, the story is about something worth talking about: fear, courage and common sense. And one of the things that I, as a parent, really enjoyed about this story is that it helps children to distinguish between things that they ought TO, and ought NOT TO, be afraid of. The story begins with Percy telling Thomas that he has seen a ghost. When Thomas poo-poo's the story, Percy teams teams up with Toby to give Thomas a scare. The fact that he runs for cover, ultimately leaves Thomas feeling bad about being a 'scaredy-cat'. "You won't fool me again", he says defiantly. This attitude of bravado, however, gets Thomas into real trouble. When on a run near the abandoned mines, he decides to ignore some "DANGER" signs. As a consequence, Thomas ends up sunk in an old shaft. Rev. Awdry concludes of that misadventure: "Thomas decided that being foolish was not the same as being brave." The story ends with Thomas' discovery that the strange goings on at the castle and the malfunctioning signal have reasonable explanations behind them. Five Stars. Simply a good tale, well illustrated and with a fine message.

Another good Thomas book illustrated by Tommy Stubbs. This one isn't quite as good as the other recently released Thomas book "Christmas Delivery", but it is still leaps ahead of most other Thomas books.