The Train

by David McPhail

During the night while everyone is asleep, a young boy takes a ride on his toy train.

Genres: Picture Books, Trains, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

David was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. While there, he began illustrating. He is now an award-winning author and illustrator of nearly 200 books beloved by children, parents and librarians across the United States. McPhail has garnered many prestigious awards, including a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Book of the Year for Mole Music in 2001. McPhail’s other books include First Flight, which the New York Times praised as “hilarious and helpful”; and Lost!, which was chosen as an American Bookseller Pick of the Lists.

McPhail has four children, three stepchildren, and is a proud grandfather. He is married to Jan Waldron, with whom he has written and illustrated several books. He lives in Rye, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy sneaks out of bed at night to fix his toy train. He soon discovers that the train is now life size and his other toys take the roles of engineer, conductor, and passengers. We enjoyed going back and forth between the pages spotting which toys or family members had joined the train adventure. It was also fun to discuss if this was a dream, pretending, magic, etc. the illustration style is a bit dated and not my favorite style as I prefer more bold colors and sharpness. These are more like a pencil sketch with very light and limited colors.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my son’s favorite childhood books.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great dream.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's obvious that the author loves trains. This is a must-have book for a little boy who loves trains. While the book is small and the pictures are 70ish, the book is timeless and appealing.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy named Matthew who loves trains? Aww!