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Ocean Star Express
Joe and his parents are enjoying a summer holiday by the sea at the Ocean Star Hotel. The sky is bright blue, the sun shines and Joe loves all that the seaside has to offer. But when the fog rolls in and rain falls Joe begins to wish that he was back at home again. Things change, however, when the owner of the hotel invites Joe to share in a magical world, only a few steps away. The loft is black as night but then above Joe's head a thousand tiny stars begin to sparkle and in the distance he hears the chug-chug-chug of a model train. A whole world is soon to open up before Joe's eyes, a world of snow-capped mountains, great deserts, and rocking fishing boats.
32 pages, Paperback
First published November 5, 2001
About the author
Mark Haddon
80 books4,087 followersMark Haddon is an English novelist, best known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, the Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth Writers Prize for his work.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 14, 2020
Joe and his parents are enjoying a summer holiday by the sea at the Ocean Star Hotel. The sky is bright blue, the sun shines and Joe loves all that the seaside has to offer.
Then the fog rolls in and rain falls Joe begins to wish that he was back at home. However, things change when the owner of the hotel, Mr Robertson, invites him to share in a magical world that exists upstairs in the large loft. 'We'll be back in time for tea,' Mr Robertson tells him.
The loft is black as night but suddenly above his head a thousand tiny stars begin to sparkle and in the distance Joe hears a distant chug-chug-chug and sees a tiny light approaching.
He is suddenly transported as though travelling in a train to a world of snow-capped mountains, great deserts, and rocking fishing boats. After the journey is over Mr Robertson offers to put Joe on the train any time that he chooses to go to the loft so that he can travel round the world in the train again!
That night Joe dreams of travelling in the Ocean Express and he sleeps peacefully, dreaming of another journey on the model train.
A lovely heartwarming story, delightfully illustrated by Peter Sutton.
Then the fog rolls in and rain falls Joe begins to wish that he was back at home. However, things change when the owner of the hotel, Mr Robertson, invites him to share in a magical world that exists upstairs in the large loft. 'We'll be back in time for tea,' Mr Robertson tells him.
The loft is black as night but suddenly above his head a thousand tiny stars begin to sparkle and in the distance Joe hears a distant chug-chug-chug and sees a tiny light approaching.
He is suddenly transported as though travelling in a train to a world of snow-capped mountains, great deserts, and rocking fishing boats. After the journey is over Mr Robertson offers to put Joe on the train any time that he chooses to go to the loft so that he can travel round the world in the train again!
That night Joe dreams of travelling in the Ocean Express and he sleeps peacefully, dreaming of another journey on the model train.
A lovely heartwarming story, delightfully illustrated by Peter Sutton.
May 28, 2026
A holiday by the seaside starts auspiciously with swimming and games and ‘knickerbocker glories in the Mermaid Tearooms’. But, as an English summer is wont to do, the weather turns wet and gloomy. Young Joe’s thoughts turn to his toys and friends at home. He rather wishes he was back there.
But then Mr Robertson, owner of the hotel where Joe is staying with his parents, suggests ‘a journey round the world’ with the promise that Joe will be ‘back in time for tea’. In the upper rooms of the hotel, Mr Robertson has created a spellbinding series of landscapes through which his model train travels. Joe moves through the rooms, witnessing snowy mountain panoramas, desert views and harbour scenes.
When the route is completed, the summer sunshine has returned outdoors. Joe completes his holiday and returns home. Once there, he falls asleep each night to the imagined sound of the Ocean Star Express’s ‘chug-chug-chug’, turning his bedroom’s features into the train’s journey.
Peter Sutton’s illustrations, mostly full page facing the text, are rich in colour and detail. Joe is superimposed on the miniature landscapes, his face reflecting his changing emotions – happiness, boredom, surprise, peacefulness.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ocean Star Express was published in 2001, two years before Mark Haddon’s best known book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . It is ideal to share as a read-aloud picture book for three to four-year-olds and is a gently calming bedtime story. I found my copy on the shelves of a second-hand bookstore. I, and my grandchildren, remain delighted by the discovery. Repeat readings are regularly requested.
4.5★
* * * * * * * * * *
You can find more book reflections on my blog, Thoughts from an Idle Hour.
But then Mr Robertson, owner of the hotel where Joe is staying with his parents, suggests ‘a journey round the world’ with the promise that Joe will be ‘back in time for tea’. In the upper rooms of the hotel, Mr Robertson has created a spellbinding series of landscapes through which his model train travels. Joe moves through the rooms, witnessing snowy mountain panoramas, desert views and harbour scenes.
When the route is completed, the summer sunshine has returned outdoors. Joe completes his holiday and returns home. Once there, he falls asleep each night to the imagined sound of the Ocean Star Express’s ‘chug-chug-chug’, turning his bedroom’s features into the train’s journey.
Peter Sutton’s illustrations, mostly full page facing the text, are rich in colour and detail. Joe is superimposed on the miniature landscapes, his face reflecting his changing emotions – happiness, boredom, surprise, peacefulness.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ocean Star Express was published in 2001, two years before Mark Haddon’s best known book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time . It is ideal to share as a read-aloud picture book for three to four-year-olds and is a gently calming bedtime story. I found my copy on the shelves of a second-hand bookstore. I, and my grandchildren, remain delighted by the discovery. Repeat readings are regularly requested.
4.5★
* * * * * * * * * *
You can find more book reflections on my blog, Thoughts from an Idle Hour.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews