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

by Susan Wickberg, Yumi Heo (Illustrator)

This busy train is really going places! I’m puff-puff-puffin’ / In my smokesmoke- stack. / 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.

Genres: Picture Books, Trains, Childrens, Transport, Adventure, Juvenile, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 10, 2008

Reviews

[Hafidha]

My 20 month old loves (loves, loves, loves), LOVES this book. She requests it be read to her repeatedly throughout the day. She loves books and has many of them, but this one is by far her favorite. I have to buy my own copy because the one we have is from the library.

What I like:
Rhythm of the words is great for toddlers
Fun to read
Interesting use of vocabulary - a mix of simple and more complex words
Creative, original story
Colorful

What I don't like:
This book is hardcover, but the pages are stitched in - NO GOOD. Pages fall out very easily.
The artwork is print collage style and some of the creatures/animals are weirdly shaped, not sure what they are.

[Asho]

The illustration on the cover attracted me to this book at our local library. I'm glad I picked it up. The collage-style illustrations are super bright, quirky, and fun. The rhythm of the text makes it fun to read out loud. I found that it sort of helps to do it in a very sing-song-y way. There are a couple of places where the rhythm falters, but overall I enjoyed reading it. This was my favorite library book of the week, and my son seemed to like it, too. It was a bit long for my little guy, but he liked the repetition.

[Bri Zabriskie]

The repeated words threw me. I know the author was trying to imitate the chug chug of trains but I felt it could've been more cleverly done. Also the device is the point and so the story lacks plot which isn't a problem if the device is so adorable you love it... But it wasn't.

... Bracken liked it tho.

[Jill]

I found the repititious words boring; the last part of the book I read out loud and it seemed to work better when read out loud than in my head, but I think it would be hard to pull off in storytime--try saying "plains, plains, plains" smoothly...

[Jennifer]

The collage artwork was a little strange, but it was the text in this one that just didn't work for me. All the repetition is obviously supposed to imitate the "chugga-chugga" of the train, but I just found it annoying. I won't be using this for story time unless I get desperate.

[Molly Cluff (Library!)]

Great book for kids who want a book on trains. The rhythm of the rhymes sounds like a train chugging along. The first stanza repeats so kids could say that with you ("Hey Mr. Choo-choo, red white and blue-choo . . .).

[Terry]

This picture book uses rhymes that engage the reader as though they're riding the train. Keep reading ....

[Caroline]

My 19 month old loves this book and will sit through the whole thing (so I can't complain). The rhythm is nice, but the art leaves a lot to be desired.

[Molly]

A good read-aloud, probably- I just don't like the illustrations.

[Heather Back]

Asks all the WH questions and builds onto itself with some repetition to build familiarity.

[Sam]

My son loves this book!

[Samantha]

My favorite train read aloud, besides The Little Engine That Could. In chant-worthy text readers take a train trip and learn what the train is carrying and where the train is going. A catchy refrain just might entice listeners to chime in before story's end.

Illustrations are reminiscent of kid drawings and include a lot of fun details to focus on.

A great read aloud primarily for preschoolers (due to length) though, with a little bit of patience, toddlers might enjoy it too.

[Shanaria]

This book would be a good one to read during the unit of transportation. It has really good repatation and it tells and shows what a train can hold and some things you may see while riding a train.

Give each child their own cardboard box to decorate to their liking then as a class we will connect the boxes and make a train.

[Chris Cutler]

This is my 2 year old's new favorite book. After two days he was chanting along as we read aloud, and before long he started reciting it to himself throughout the day, not even needing the pictures to prompt the sequence of stanzas. He loves all the train books we've gotten, but as far as he's concerned this is clearly the best one.

[Tricia]

Have lots of breath in you when you bring this one out...lots of repeated words in the text. Rhyming text becomes tedious at times. Illustrations are great...trains, lots of trains! Like the concept...not sure I could pull this one off but sure that a more talented reader could do it.

[IrenesBookReviews]

It is good in showing you that trains can take you all different places. Other then that I didn't really enjoy the book. There was nothing bad about it, it just did not flow very easily and the pictures were confusing.

[Jane]

A fun book for the little train enthusiast, but what really made the book for me is the illustrations. Yumi Heo's style is distinctive and I'm thankful for this collaboration because yes, trains and characters I could identify with!

[Rachel]

Another train book I picked up for my son, the rhyming text and collage/painted illustrations really bring you into the story of this train taking children to the beach. My only gripe was that the book was a little long for my son. Recommended for ages 2-6, 3 stars.

[Kati]

Very cute book ... would make a great read aloud for PreK-K.

[Samantha Penrose]

My 4 year old loved this....I found the particular brand of repetition in it highly obnoxious....

[Anna]

Great for story time and sing along!

[Valerie]

too long for toddlers unless modified, more of a preschool storytime read with repetition - transportation, sounds, summertime. Pictures will carry for medium sized group

[Rebecca]

This book was wonderful for memorization and recitation exercises for my 6 year old. The rhythm of the story made the work very compelling and fun for him.

[Kit]

Kind of obnoxious, but T loves it.

[Thomas DeWolf]

One of my granddaughter's (3 years old) current favorite's. A great read-along book because of the poetry/cadence. Really bounces along.

[Staci]

There is a lot of word repetition/rhythem in this book, so I put the words to a little tune when I read it and my son loves it. It's another one we look for at the library

[John]

Fun action story for reading.

[Amanda]

My choo-choo loving daughter liked this one OK. Another that I had trouble with rhythm, but I appreciate the verse.

[Scott Roark]

Good book for K-1st grade. Uses repetition and rhyming to tell a story of a train carrying a load.

[Geni]

Rhyme and Color cordination