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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Abel is suddenly really into trains, so this is great for him right now. the train engine runs away and discovers why it's not as fun as she thinks it will be. I love how she jumps an open drawbridge and loses her tender. Good plot device!
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
The story of a little train who decides to run away and discovers it isn't as much fun as she thought it would be.
We love Virginia Lee Burton, and this book is one of our favorites! A classic story about running away and finding it's not all it's cracked up to be.
For: train fans; readers looking for a book with classically cartoony illustrations.
Possible red flags: running away and causing havoc.
Possible red flags: running away and causing havoc.
Another one of Matthew's favorite Virgina Lee Burton books. We read this many times a week.
Love V L Burton's other stories but this one just isn't as good.
January 2018 - charmingly old-fashioned (although a bit disappointing that poor Choo Choo doesn't end up enjoying her day off) - immediate hit with Ben. A bit on the longer side, but good for a read-aloud.
There is something special about the way Virginia tells a story. She uses things that don't interest me and yet the story is still interesting. There was the snow plow and now a train.
The artwork is of its day, from 1937, which is during the depression. They didn't use much color in those days. The drawings appear to be charcoal sketches. They are detailed and beautiful. The story is fast paced at a break neck speed. I could see this being an exciting short.
We follow a train who loves doing her train thing. She has people helping her and she carries people all over. One day she wants to be fast and free, so the train takes off by herself and scares everyone with how fast she is. She distressed animals, causes traffic pile-ups at crossings and people climb steeples to get away from this fast train. She even jumps a drawbridge. She eventually loses steam and comes to rest alone in a forest, but lucky for her, her human companions come looking for her and all turns out well.
The story is dated and yet, it's not. There is a longing for freedom and devil-may-care attitude that we know so well today. The story still holds up well. I don't know if kids will like it or not. I think if they are a train fan they will, and otherwise all the black and white drawings will probably bore them.
I do love Virginia lee Burton's work and it still holds up. I need to read more. This story was for her son.
The artwork is of its day, from 1937, which is during the depression. They didn't use much color in those days. The drawings appear to be charcoal sketches. They are detailed and beautiful. The story is fast paced at a break neck speed. I could see this being an exciting short.
We follow a train who loves doing her train thing. She has people helping her and she carries people all over. One day she wants to be fast and free, so the train takes off by herself and scares everyone with how fast she is. She distressed animals, causes traffic pile-ups at crossings and people climb steeples to get away from this fast train. She even jumps a drawbridge. She eventually loses steam and comes to rest alone in a forest, but lucky for her, her human companions come looking for her and all turns out well.
The story is dated and yet, it's not. There is a longing for freedom and devil-may-care attitude that we know so well today. The story still holds up well. I don't know if kids will like it or not. I think if they are a train fan they will, and otherwise all the black and white drawings will probably bore them.
I do love Virginia lee Burton's work and it still holds up. I need to read more. This story was for her son.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
My first exposure to this book was through a Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories VHS I watched all the time as a kid. It always made me very emotional how much Jim, Oley, and Archibald loved Choo Choo to the point where they only felt concern for her safety and happiness to have found her again even after all the damage she caused by running away. I can't explain just how much it meant to me that they didn't get mad at her, but it affected me a lot. I recently uncovered my hard copy of the book to read to the preschooler I tutor and it was such a comforting blast of nostalgia to revisit this story.