discusses different characteristics of trains: how they run, who fixes the tracks, where they go
2 books

This book is great for all children. The illustrations are simple enough for babies, yet there are enough details to interest older children. The story is about different trains, where they travel, and the people who work and ride on them.

This book shows you different types of trains. I like the illustrations and this could be very engaging for children to read. ( )

The Turkeybird Speaks (My son's opinion, age 3): "Now this is the part where I tell you to pull up a chair and your favorite snack so you can settle into a great book. Does it really get any better than trucks, planes, and trains? I would say not! They move, they have wheels, they go fast and they do all sorts of fun things. I especially liked reading my plane book when we traveled cross country to our new home. It was neat to look out the window and see the same sky that I was looking at in my book. These books are a must have for every home. Go get them!"

Mom's Two Cents: "I have to agree with The Turkeybird and the publishers summary. We initially purchased the Trucks book when he was very little and it instantly became a favorite. Now that he is quite a bit older (at least two years have passed) he still picks them out of our full bookshelf. As he mentioned, we traveled by plane this last summer to move from the DC area to California and the Planes book was a huge hit! There are images of people getting on and off planes in the book and because of the small airport we initially left from, we were able to get aboard the plane just as they did in the book, which he loved! And though you would think these books wouldn't appeal to girls, even The Littlebug picked the Plane book out yesterday as her book of choice.

"Now, onto the technical side of the book. What I, as a parent, really like about these books are the simple text and straight forward images. It's not going to be the most beautiful book on your shelf, nor will the words be drawn out and elaborate, but it still holds an entertainment and educational value I can't deny. Each page has between 3 to 5 words with a simple illustration demonstrating the text. For smaller kids it can often times be overwhelming to have a book filled with words and dramatic images, but these books though not elegant are still captivating. I highly recommend these books for beginning readers and even for older children who may need a respite between larger, more complicated books."

Very simple and perfect for a two-year-old interested in trains. All Barton's pictures are like the cover -- very simple with bold colors. In the first picture we just see train tracks and the text says, "On the tracks." Then the next page shows a passenger train, and text continues "the trains are running". We follow the passenger train as it passes a freight train, steam engine, electric train, and town and finally comes to a train station. It's similar to his books on airplanes (also excellent) and boats.

Both of my children have been totally captivated by this book before and around age 2. ( )