Two Little Trains


Margaret Wise Brown - 1949
    Puff, Puff, Puff and Chug, Chug, Chug, Two little trains to the west.

All Aboard the Dinotrain


Deb Lund - 2006
    That's right, the thrill-seeking daredevil dinosaurs from Dinosailors are back, and now they're riding a train. But this train is more like a roller coaster--up, down, and faster and faster, until the dinos realize the brakes are out! Laughs and thrills abound in this rip-snorting tale of reckless reptiles and their runaway train.

Thomas and the School Trip


Owain Bell - 1993
    in full color. That cheeky blue engine refuses to be sidetracked from his goal of taking schoolchildren home after their visit to the train yard--despite a host of obstacles along the way.

Stranger on a Train


Jenny Diski - 2002
    As in the highly acclaimed Skating to Antarctica, Diski has created a seamless and seemingly effortless amalgam of reflections and revelation in a unique combination of travelogue and memoir.

The Christmas Train: A True Story


Thomas S. Monson - 2012
    Monson recounts a Christmas memory from his childhood. As a boy, he yearned for an electric train. To his delight, on Christmas morning he got exactly that—a train that operated through the miracle of electricity. Then he noticed a second train that his mother had purchased for the boy down the street whose family was struggling. Although it was only a wind-up train, it had a beautiful oil tanker car, which little Tommy wanted for his own. Soon after, Tommy's mother invited him to accompany her to the neighbor's home to deliver the gift. Young Mark was thrilled with his new train and, of course, didn't notice the missing train car. However, a remorseful Tommy did. What happened next will bring the spirit of Christmas into every heart and home. Illustrated by renowned artist Dan Burr, The Christmas Train is sure to be a classic Christmas story and a beautiful addition to every Christmas library.

Steam Train, Dream Train 1-2-3


Sherri Duskey Rinker - 2016
    Cuddle up with the beloved animal friends from the bestselling Steam Train, Dream Train and count on lots of fun! Little train enthusiasts will love counting from one to ten along with the dreamy train cars!

Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad


Gordon H. Chang - 2019
    From across the sea, they came by the thousands, escaping war and poverty in southern China to seek their fortunes in America. Converging on the enormous western worksite of the Transcontinental Railroad, the migrants spent years dynamiting tunnels through the snow-packed cliffs of the Sierra Nevada and laying tracks across the burning Utah desert. Their sweat and blood fueled the ascent of an interlinked, industrial United States. But those of them who survived this perilous effort would suffer a different kind of death—a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory.  In this account, Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers’ stories and celebrate their role in remaking America.

The Rain Train


Elena de Roo - 2011
    . . "All aboard the Rain Train!" What child wouldn’t like to hop on a train, hand over his ticket, and set off on an exciting ride through a rainy night? Safe from the elements, a young boy listens and watches— in his seat, in the dining car, and snug in his sleeper— as his train whooshes past city lights, over rivers, through tunnels, and straight on to morning.

The Silver Arrow


Lev Grossman - 2020
    And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow.Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime...and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all.

The Edge


Dick Francis - 1988
    A high-class, transcontinental horse-racing junket should be an idyllic getaway for the super-rich.But one passenger on this train is a sociopath, a genius at blackmail and criminal corruption—and he plans to take everyone for everything they've got.

All Aboard the Moonlight Train


Kristyn Crow - 2020
    Ready to join us? All aboard! Children and parents will love the clickety-clack rhythm of this enchanting, rhyming bedtime tale that whisks little readers through a magical forest on the most unusual and wondrous train ever. Annie Won's luminous, captivating art creates a joyous world of beautiful animals that will delight the youngest reader. It's your ticket to a perfect bedtime read-aloud.

Drummer Boy at Bull Run


Gilbert Morris - 1995
    Despite being on opposite sides of the War, Jeff and Leah vow to stay friends forever and see each other through battle after battle, both on the field and off. Drummer Boy at Bull Run is the first of a ten book series, that tells the story of two close families find themselves on different sides of the Civil War after the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861.Thirteen year old Leah becomes a helper in the Union army with her father, who hopes to distribute Bibles to the troops. Fourteen year old Jeff becomes a drummer boy in the Confederate Army and struggles with faith while experiencing personal hardship and tragedy. The series follows Leah, Jeff, family, and friends, as they experience hope and God’s grace through four years of war.

That's Not My Train...


Fiona Watt - 2000
    Each spread combines an illustration and a texture with simple text to develop sensory and language awareness. A first book for babies and toddlers which encourages interactive play.

Tupelo Rides the Rails


Melissa Sweet - 2008
    Bones. With creative language and brilliant illustrations, Melissa shows how home is sometimes found in the most unexpected places.

The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California


Richard Rayner - 2008
    One hundred forty years ago, four men rose from their position as middle-class merchants in Sacramento, California, to become the force behind the transcontinental railroad. In the course of doing so, they became wealthy beyond any measure––and to sustain their power, they lied, bribed, wheedled, and, when necessary, arranged for obstacles, both human and legal, to disappear. Their names were Collis Huntington, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, and Mark Hopkins, and they were known as “The Big Four” or “The Associates.” Their drive for money––nothing more, nothing less––was epic. Their legacy is a university, public gardens, museums, mansions, banks, and libraries––and to a large degree California itself, a state that even today owes its aura of “can-do” and limitless possibilities to "The Associates."