The depiction of the "braves" is a little cringe-inducing, but it's a relic from another time. ( )

Well, ok then. If you can just let go and laugh, it's a fun story. But to see Peet, the environmentalist, supporting a long life for a dirty smokey train is weird. And of course the part about the Indians is rather disrespectful. Oh well. ( )

I'm rather fond of those Bill Peet stories. They're a little old fashioned, a little dark (the main character is typically not where he wants to be in life, and bordering on depressed). But they're so charming, the text (all in rhyme) and the rich colored illustrations are so enjoyable. Smokey doesn't want to go to the dump yard, so he takes off. In [b:The Caboose Who Got Loose|890175|The Caboose Who Got Loose|Bill Peet|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348642885s/890175.jpg|2226876], Katy wanted to get off the rails, not to be endlessly dragged from place to place. So, they run into misadventures, usually to find a dash of happiness in the end. While I usually find these stories a tad sad, I really enjoy the nostalgic aspect of them. And if you like this one, you'll probably like [b:Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel|153542|Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel|Virginia Lee Burton|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1349044993s/153542.jpg|1069773]. ( )

Bill Peet has such an affectionate way to draw an old train, or an old automobile, or an old horse, and here he tells a satisfying tale. I'd give it five stars except that some American "Indians" have an embarrassing role in the story. Granted, the entire story is silly — which is part of its charm — but today is not 1962 and you should not present Native Americans as idiots. Since my grandson is half Indian (from India), I had to explain what in the heck an American "Indian" was, and then I had to explain that real Native Americans weren't at all like what was depicted in this story. He found the Indian thing bizarre, but so much is bizarre in the life of a five-year-old that he simply accepted it and loved the book. He loves trains. ( )

This is a story about a train track tester who gets run off the tracks and banished to the scrap yard. He is rescued by a teacher who cleans him and up and uses him in her teaching. This is a great story about second chances for children. It is fun and rhymes the whole way through.