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The Train to Maine
The Train to Maine captures all the excitement of a train ride to a much-anticipated vacation destination. With a pace as lively as that of a moving train, the rhyming text portrays a child's journey from the bustle of Boston to the delights of Down East Maine.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 23, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 10, 2017
Great book, not formatted for Kindle Correctly
You would think that for $16 they could format this Children's book correctly for Kindle. Especially when selling it as a kindle book. Other than that the book is great! Beautiful illustrations and a real nice cadence when read aloud. Wonderful rhyming scheme and my kids LOVE to finish the sentences as I read. Love the book. Do yourself a favor and get the hard copy.
You would think that for $16 they could format this Children's book correctly for Kindle. Especially when selling it as a kindle book. Other than that the book is great! Beautiful illustrations and a real nice cadence when read aloud. Wonderful rhyming scheme and my kids LOVE to finish the sentences as I read. Love the book. Do yourself a favor and get the hard copy.
December 20, 2014
Writing books about a particular location are certainly a challenge, and when I read books about other locations, I learn about the local culture, history, or charms. Being a Maine native makes me more critical of books about Maine.
I have never heard of Portland as "Down East", but the explanation in the back matter makes historical sense.
This seems more aimed at train lovers who happen to travel to Maine, rather than Maine lovers who happen to travel by train. It has the sights and sounds of a train traveling from a city to the country.
Fun illustrations show each family member, including the dog, in anticipation of their favorite activity via a thought bubble that accompanies the text of that page. One illustration shows the mother & father getting excited as they look out at a wooden rail car next to them. Really?? Most of the illustrations do depict Maine scenes well, but I wonder what the sauce that is spilling down over the tablecloth during the lobster dinner.
Repetitive rhyming text follows the trip, but I wonder if all these adventures are supposed to happen in one day, since the family wears the same clothes on the return home trip. If so, it is not feasible that one could have a lobster dinner, fly kites, go fishing, have a picnic, sail an evening cruise and return to Boston the same day, especially since they left at 12:15 and the trip took 2 1/2 hours!
All in all, I enjoyed the text, even though it seemed too strong on the phrase "From Boston it's up, but to Maine we go down." and it does not match the meaning of Down East given in the back.
My favorite illustration was the last one, showing all of their memories caught in a net floating about.
I have never heard of Portland as "Down East", but the explanation in the back matter makes historical sense.
This seems more aimed at train lovers who happen to travel to Maine, rather than Maine lovers who happen to travel by train. It has the sights and sounds of a train traveling from a city to the country.
Fun illustrations show each family member, including the dog, in anticipation of their favorite activity via a thought bubble that accompanies the text of that page. One illustration shows the mother & father getting excited as they look out at a wooden rail car next to them. Really?? Most of the illustrations do depict Maine scenes well, but I wonder what the sauce that is spilling down over the tablecloth during the lobster dinner.
Repetitive rhyming text follows the trip, but I wonder if all these adventures are supposed to happen in one day, since the family wears the same clothes on the return home trip. If so, it is not feasible that one could have a lobster dinner, fly kites, go fishing, have a picnic, sail an evening cruise and return to Boston the same day, especially since they left at 12:15 and the trip took 2 1/2 hours!
All in all, I enjoyed the text, even though it seemed too strong on the phrase "From Boston it's up, but to Maine we go down." and it does not match the meaning of Down East given in the back.
My favorite illustration was the last one, showing all of their memories caught in a net floating about.
July 9, 2012
My son loves trains, and while you can't go wrong with Thomas, sometimes it is nice to experience something else! We live in Maine, so he was able to identify the lobsters, lighthouses, blueberries, and the beach. The pictures in this book are beautiful, and the repetition in the story gives it a nice flow. As an added bonus, we have taken him on the Amtrak, so he can relate his own real-life experience to the book he is reading. It is well-written and engaging for children, Mainers, train-lovers, and everyone else.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews