This Train


Paul Collicutt - 1999
    Using a refreshingly simple approach, Paul Collicutt has crafted the perfect book for young railroad enthusiasts. Each page features a vividly colored and detailed painting of a train, and the spreads show how they are different -- long and short, fast and slow, old and new. As a bonus, full-color endpapers feature captioned renderings of real-life engine models from all over the world that were the inspirations for the trains depicted throughout the book.

The Secret of the Night Train


Sylvia Bishop - 2018
    And when the mysterious Heartbreak Diamond goes missing, Max must find her feet in a whirling world of would-be diamond smugglers, thieves and undercover detectives. Will she discover the real diamond thief before they reach theirdestination? Or does the answer lie closer to home...

The Christmas Tree Who Loved Trains


Annie Silvestro - 2018
    A pine tree grew in the farthest corner of the tree farm on a small patch of land that bordered the train track. The tree loved trains. She loved to watch them ZOOM by on the tracks beside the tree farm. Her branches would ripple in the wind as the trains roared past.But one morning, when a little boy picks her to be his Christmas tree, she is uprooted and brought to a home far from the ZOOMING trains she loves…Beautiful art from Paola Zakimi brings to life this lovely Christmastime tale from Annie Silvestro, perfect for readers who love The Giving Tree and The Velveteen Rabbit.

Trains


Byron Barton - 1986
    All aboard as the train journeys through a town, past workers repairing the rails and into the station. With simple text and vibrant illustrations, readers will learn about a variety of trains and what they do. Trains Board Book "will delight the youngest and have enough meat for older preschoolers and beginning readers" (Kirkus Reviews).Supports the Common Core State Standards

When the Whistle Blows


Fran Cannon Slayton - 2009
    He does all the things boys do in the small mountain town: plays a mean game of football, pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with his friends in ?the Platoon,? and promises to head off into the woods on the first day of hunting season? no matter what. He also knows his father belongs to a secret society, and is determined to uncover the mysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounter with a train that shows Jimmy the man his father really is. Newcomer Fran Cannon Slayton?s powerful first novel captures the serendipity of boyhood by shining a spotlight on the peak adventures of Jimmy?s life. But at its heart, this is a story about a boy and his father in a time when trains reigned supreme.?When the Whistle Blows is reminiscent of classic tales by Jack London, William Golding and Robert Louis Stevenson, yet carries the remarkable, fresh voice of its author. Fran Cannon Slayton should be extremely proud of this, her debut novel.??Ellen Hopkins, author of Crank and Identical.

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.

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.

Where Do Steam Trains Sleep at Night?


Brianna Caplan Sayres - 2016
    Little train lovers with a one-track mind will gain a new affinity for their bedtime routine when they find they share it with their favorite vehicles.

Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression


Errol Lincoln Uys - 1999
    They were looking for work and adventure; some wanted to leave their homes, and some had to. They grew up in speeding boxcars, living in hobo jungles, begging on the streets, and running from the police and club-wielding railroad guards.The restless youth of these boxcar boys and girls, many who went from 'middle-class gentility to dirt poor' overnight, is recaptured in Riding the Rails: Teenagers on the Move During the Great Depression. Whether as runaways or with blessings of parents, these boys and girls hit the road and went in search of a better life.Illustrated with rare archival photos and drawing primarily on letters and oral histories of three thousand men and women who hopped freight trains, Riding the Rails brings to life a neglected saga of America in the 1930s. Self-reliance, compassion, frugality, and a love of freedom and country are at the heart of the lessons these teens learned. At journey's end, the resilience of these survivors is a testament of the indomitable strength of the human spirit.

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.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo


Emma Garcia - 2017
    Here comes the train. And it’s rolling down the tracks in this vibrant picture book! Follow it along and count the birds that join the trip. All aboard, and all join in as the cheerful little train chugs past the seaside, the farm, the forest, the city, and into the station for a nice long rest. Along the way, a flock of noisy seagulls and blackbirds, pigeons and geese hop on for the ride. Kids will have fun looking at Emma Garcia’s colorful, collaged landscapes and counting all the honking, cooing, tweeting birds.

I Dream of Trains


Angela Johnson - 2003
     The poignant words of two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Angela Johnson and striking images from fine artist Loren Long join forces in this heartbreaking yet uplifting picture book about a boy, his love for trains, and his adulation of one legendary engineer. It's the story of a hero lost and a hero discovered, of a dream crushed then reawakened, but mostly it is a story of the force that sustains the human spirit -- hope.

All Aboard!


Rebecca Kai Dotlich - 2014
    In this inviting, rhyming read-aloud, two kids become travel buddies as they watch cities and landscapes and other hard-working trains rush by, and also observe the conductor and funny goings-on inside the train, all illustrated in a fresh, hip, colorful style. Hop aboard!"The chugga-chugga beat and appealing anthropomorphized trains will charm young train-lovers in this entertaining title that’s a perfect fit for storytime."--Booklist

Stanley's Train


William Bee - 2019
    Stanley's passengers have a beach ball, a toy boat, and an inner tube. Where could Stanley's train be headed? Off we go on another adventure! Choo, choo!With bright illustrations, adorable characters, and a padded-cover format, William Bee's Stanley series is perfect for readers transitioning from board books to picture books.

Hey Mr. Choo-Choo, Where Are You Going?


Susan Wickberg - 2008
    / Bells are clang-clang-clangin’. / I’m on the good track! He has people and cargo to carry past cities and towns, through a tunnel, across bridges, and up and down hills as he click-clack-clicks all the way to a favorite destination—the seashore! With rhythmic verse that perfectly echoes the chugging of a train and whimsical paintings showing the various landscapes along the way, the youngest kids will be eager to take a ride with charming Mr. Choo-choo.