Trains

This book looks so real and with the 3D pictures you and your children will feel like they are actually on a Train. This is a great book to look at and read for hours at a time. We notice something different every time we look at it.

I found this book at a used book store and my son (3 years old) immediately liked it. The book features full color and highly detailed drawings of trains. What sets it apart from other introductory books about trains are the clear acetate overlays between most of the pages. These plastic pages are printed with designs that are visible on both sides and that add to the printed images on the other pages. The overlays also cover up text on the upcoming page so that more information and pictures are revealed when the child lifts them up. The book has a lot of the appeal of a lift-the-flap book, but is much more durable. It has a spiral binding that is enclosed inside a hardback cover, so the pages lie flat.The text of the book is short and easy to read aloud. Much of the information is contained in captions for the images, many of which are objects shown against a white background in the style that is fashionable these days. The main text of the book is printed in a larger font than the labels and captions, so you can choose to read only the basic information aloud, or add more detail as a child shows interest. The text is engaging in that it asks questions and then reveals the answers so that children have a chance to speculate a bit.Children old enough to read this book themselves may be too old for the simplistic information unless this is truly their first introduction to trains. My only gripe about the text is that some information is printed against a colored background and is hard to read. Other times, the text is arranged to hide behind an acetate overlay, and is oddly spaced.This book begins by talking about trains in the United States, but quickly moves to international trains and provides a fairly balanced worldwide view (even a Peruvian train is shown). The final pages show "trains" of amusement park rides, but there is a picture of a skeleton inside a haunted house type ride that might frighten the preschoolers or toddlers. Use your judgement. My rather trepid 3 year old doesn't mind.

My sons are 3 and 4-1/2 and love trains. They enjoy reading this book because the transparent flaps add an extra exciting touch to their favorite subject.