My Little Train - A Little Train Goes for a Ride Taking All of the Stuffed Animals Where They Want to Go - Paperback - First Edition, 1st Printing 2010
"When Satomi Ichikawa decided she would like to illustrate books for children, she visited a bookstore in London and copied down the names and addresses of publishers. She then simply walked to the address that seemed the closest, her rough sketches in hand. Today, she is known the world over as a celebrated illustrator and accomplished storyteller, and there are more than 50 books that bear the Satomi Ichikawa name. Born in Japan, Ms. Ichikawa traveled to Paris as a young woman and has lived there for over thirty years. However, her inspiration comes from all over the world. She loves traveling to other countries, where she sketches the countryside and gets to know the people of the villages and cities where she stays. But Ms. Ichikawa always come back to Paris, where she feels the beauty of everyday life enriches her work. The Luxembourg Gardens is one of her favorite places to watch the children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents who gather there to enjoy its beautiful scenery. The recipient of several awards for her artwork, Ms. Ichikawa is the illustrator of the popular Tanya books and the best-selling You Are My I Love You. "She also has over twenty of her own books for young people, including the Nora series, The First Bear in Africa "and My Pig Amarillo.
My daughter loves this book. She loves repeating the train sounds "whoo whoo" and all the animal (passenger) sounds as well. I would definitely recommend for a toddler.
Toys go on an imaginative train ride through a living room, with stops at a pond (fish bowl), field (landscape painting) and jungle (a potted plant). The mountain (couch) is the final stop...but a small kangaroo is still on board. He enjoys the best adventure of all - and then is taken by train back to his waiting mother. The text is great for reading aloud and the large. soft water color illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this gentle story of imagination.
Probably 3.5 stars for me. It started out decidedly 3 star, but then I loved how the imaginative "destinations" of the train stops unfolded, and I have a bit of a weakness for cute baby kangaroo stuffed animals ;-) This would be a fun book for kids who like trains, and would make a good read-aloud.
Cute, and a good storytime addition for train or toy themes, but somehow not one that really stood out for me. I like the illustrations and the imagination of where the toys were all headed and how that appeared the 'real world' room. A good one, but like I said, not one that really stuck with me.
Cute little piece. I appreciate the imagination of whatever child is playing with the train and toys, and it was interesting NOT having the child pictured at the end, as so many books choose to do. This really lets the reader BE the child, and I think that's a powerful thing.
December 2017 - the train obsession continues, and this would be a great one for toddlers or kids just getting into imaginative play with trains. It was a little simple for Ben but he still enjoyed it.
The story is a pretty traditional train story. The passengers are all cute. I like this book a lot as a read-aloud, and my son loved it. The illustrations are also beautiful.
Pretty but very much the same as Margaret Wise Brown's Two Little Trains, except without the fantastical pictures. Has a bit more plot, so rounded up from 2.5. Ages 2-4.
This was a 'twist' on the classic Little Engine that could. A train takes animals to where they want to go and in the end realizes a baby kangaroo was 'hiding out' and so the train goes back along his route to find the kangaroo's 'pouch' which is his Momma waiting for him at the station. What makes this story a really cute one is the illustrations go hand in hand with the story. A toy train with stuffed animals...doing in and out of 'tunnels' which is couch cushions etc. A child could pretend play after this story was read to them. My granddaughter received this as a Dolly Parton Imagination Library book.
My son loves this book and I can only hope he outgrows it soon! The story is overly repetitious and stilted. The train and animal sounds that should make the story interactive and fun to read aloud just slow the already laborious pacing even more. I like the basic concept of the train's journey through the home, but it can and has been done better elsewhere. Of all my son's books, this is the one I constantly nudge to the back of the bookshelf, hoping he'll pick anything else for his bedtime story.
A little train chugs along with toy passengers each in route to a different place (pond for the duck, field for the sheep) in this charming readaloud for a train preschool storytime or just because! I read a comment that the text is awkward and there are a couple of pages that go slightly rough. However, I think that an experienced reader would be fine with the book...using intonation and volume of the voice to present this nice material.
We closed in Good-Bye circle with this book, and it was also well-received by Aurora May, Enzo and Owen. This is another of Aurora May's favorites, and apparently Owen knows this book pretty well too! Owen was very engaged and Woo-Woo'ed along with me in the book. Aurora May usually likes to say good-bye to the animals as they get off the train. I personally love with the baby kangaroo makes it back to his mother's pocket in Central Station. I also love that the sofa is a mountain.
My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. He and his daddy both like trains.
My husband read this book to my son. When he finished, he proclaimed it "terrible". I don't think it is terrible, but I don't think it is especially good either. It is difficult to read this book out loud. It feels awkward and sounds stilted. The illustrations are good, but not great.
Ah, yes the days of imaginative play is depicted here in this train story. I really liked it, but will children relate to this and furthermore will they have time or be allowed to engage in imaginative play. The copy I read was marked Dolly Pardon's Imagination Library which means many preschoolers will be exposed to this one and that's a good thing.
Simple, yet dramatic and engaging. Reflects the nature of imaginative play without being too precious. Beautiful watercolors engage adults and children. Chance (age3) loves it. His only comment is that he would like the train's face to be more visable (ala Thomas the Tank Engine).
If you have a child who likes trains and wants all of their books to feature trains, this is a very worthwhile addition to your collection. It is also a cute story for those who aren't train die-hards.
This book really brings out the imagination of young children. In the book a train is traveling around a kid's bedroom like it is real train tracks. Blankets make tunnels, and other bedroom items create obstacles for the train. My four year old train loving son was all about it!
Great concept, but the stilted prose and old fashioned art make this look like a period piece. For some kids this will be a hit, others will toss it aside for more action packed train books.
Love this children's book! Best one yet from the Imagination Library. Great artistry and repeat of words with rhythm amd animal sounds. Very recommended!