What do you think?
Rate this book
The Prairie Train
"Once upon a time there was a train that dreamed of being a boat."
It was the train that took immigrants seeking a better life in the New World across the endless flat prairies to San Francisco. And it was the train that took Conor, a small homesick boy from Ireland, on the voyage he would remember for the rest of his life. While on that train, Conor dreams of being back in Connemara, Ireland, with his grandfather when suddenly, to his amazement, the waving prairie grass becomes the sea and the train on which he is traveling, like a boat, sails across it right back to his home. How Conor comes to realize that the home he's left behind will always be with him provides a reassuring and deeply satisfying resolution to this poignant tale. The dreamlike paintings by Caldecott Honor artist Eric Rohmann combine with the lyrical text of Irish playwright Antoine Ó Flatharta to make this one of the most memorable books of this--or any--season.
It was the train that took immigrants seeking a better life in the New World across the endless flat prairies to San Francisco. And it was the train that took Conor, a small homesick boy from Ireland, on the voyage he would remember for the rest of his life. While on that train, Conor dreams of being back in Connemara, Ireland, with his grandfather when suddenly, to his amazement, the waving prairie grass becomes the sea and the train on which he is traveling, like a boat, sails across it right back to his home. How Conor comes to realize that the home he's left behind will always be with him provides a reassuring and deeply satisfying resolution to this poignant tale. The dreamlike paintings by Caldecott Honor artist Eric Rohmann combine with the lyrical text of Irish playwright Antoine Ó Flatharta to make this one of the most memorable books of this--or any--season.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 1999
1 person is currently reading
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 10, 2017
Beautiful illustration and story.
May 10, 2017
I very nice story about immigration and trains in the 1870s. I liked the pictures and the story! Worth reading!
March 14, 2016
This is a really beautiful picture book about a boy from Connemara, Ireland traveling a train across the prairie lands of the New World to San Fransisco. Before he left his native home, his grandfather had given him a small toy boat he had made to remind him of the old world. On the train the boy accidentally lets the toy boat fly out the window and is very upset. The train, wanting to comfort the boy, magically shushes him to sleep and the boy has a dream that the train wasn't on the tracks in the prairie any longer, but it was rushing through the sea. It brought him to shore where he saw his grandfather standing beneath a large moon. The grandfather assures him it is okay that he has lost the boat and that there are many bigger and grander boats waiting for him in the beautiful city he is headed towards. Immediately when the boy wakes up he feels much better and excited about going to his new home. This is a really beautiful picture book and a sweet story that weaves in history. It could easily be used in a social studies lesson about early American immigration and the settling of the West or Westward Expansion. Appropriate for students in grades 1-5.
March 18, 2016
This is a really beautiful picture book about a boy from Connemara, Ireland traveling a train across the prairie lands of the New World to San Fransisco. Before he left his native home, his grandfather had given him a small toy boat he had made to remind him of the old world. On the train the boy accidentally lets the toy boat fly out the window and is very upset. The train, wanting to comfort the boy, magically shushes him to sleep and the boy has a dream that the train wasn't on the tracks in the prairie any longer, but it was rushing through the sea. It brought him to shore where he saw his grandfather standing beneath a large moon. The grandfather assures him it is okay that he has lost the boat and that there are many bigger and grander boats waiting for him in the beautiful city he is headed towards. Immediately when the boy wakes up he feels much better and excited about going to his new home. This is a really beautiful picture book and a sweet story that weaves in history. It could easily be used in a social studies lesson about early American immigration and the settling of the West or Westward Expansion. Appropriate for students in grades 1-5.
March 22, 2013
Once upon a time, there was a train that dreamed of being a boat.
A story about an Irish immigrant family traveling by train from Chicago to San Francisco in the mid to late 1800's. Conor, the young boy, loses a cherished toy boat which was carved and given to him by his grandfather, who remains in Ireland. In a dream, Conor is reunited with his grandfather who reassures him that he is heading to a place full of boats, and he doesn't need the toy boat he lost anymore. Strangely, the train enters Conor's dream, too, and he is surprised to find that the train is not running on tracks, but steaming through the waves of the sea. When Conor awakens, he finds that the dream has comforted him and calmed some of his fears of being separated from his grandfather and Ireland.
This book would make a good jumping-off spot for older students to discuss some of the fears that immigrants coming to America must have had. What were they leaving behind? What were some of the unknowns about where they were headed?
All very interesting and beautifully illustrated by Eric Rohmann.
A story about an Irish immigrant family traveling by train from Chicago to San Francisco in the mid to late 1800's. Conor, the young boy, loses a cherished toy boat which was carved and given to him by his grandfather, who remains in Ireland. In a dream, Conor is reunited with his grandfather who reassures him that he is heading to a place full of boats, and he doesn't need the toy boat he lost anymore. Strangely, the train enters Conor's dream, too, and he is surprised to find that the train is not running on tracks, but steaming through the waves of the sea. When Conor awakens, he finds that the dream has comforted him and calmed some of his fears of being separated from his grandfather and Ireland.
This book would make a good jumping-off spot for older students to discuss some of the fears that immigrants coming to America must have had. What were they leaving behind? What were some of the unknowns about where they were headed?
All very interesting and beautifully illustrated by Eric Rohmann.
April 21, 2013
This kind of reminded me of the Polar Express...probably because it had a train and a little boy straining toward some truth. But it kind of had the same feel, even though they were about different things. This was about an immigrant adjusting to the idea of a new home and missing everything he's left behind. I thought it did a good job of portraying the boy's emotions. The journey the train and the boy took together was fairly imaginative and thoughtful. I liked how everything was resolved in the end and I feel people will read it and see a sweet message. While I enjoyed it, it's not something I'm going to read again, but it was nice.
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
*Taken from My Sentiments Exactly!: http://reviewsatmse.blogspot.com/2013...
October 6, 2014
As an immigrant from far-away Connemara, Conor and his family are traveling on The Prairie Train taking them from Chicago to their new home in San Francisco. Conor is sad to leave his homeland and grandfather behind, but he has his grandfather's precious toy boat in his hands. When waving good-bye out the window, the toy boat is blown away...lost forever. Now, he's sad.
His dreams are troubled, but when he awakes renewed and refreshed, his grandfather's legacy is comforting. Illustrations are pleasing with their subtle, muted earth tones.
His dreams are troubled, but when he awakes renewed and refreshed, his grandfather's legacy is comforting. Illustrations are pleasing with their subtle, muted earth tones.
January 29, 2011
I liked the illustrations, but the story was a bit long for a picture book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews