Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo

by Kevin Lewis, Daniel Kirk (Illustrator)

Come along for the ride as a busy toy locomotive makes its rounds through a bustling playroom. Featuring rhyming couplets and bright, bold illustrations, this story is sure to be a hit with young train lovers.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Kevin Lewis is the author of many children’s picture books for toddler and early elementary grades including the classics Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo and My Truck is Stuck (both illustrated by Daniel Kirk), Halloween favorite The Runaway Pumpkin, Lot at the End of My Block, Dinosaur Dinosaur, Tugga-Tugga Tugboat, and Not Inside This House.

Kevin grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Rembert, South Carolina. Around the third grade, he fell in love with books, and by middle school, Kevin was a bit of a reading recluse. Books carried him through high school and Erskine College, where he studied English. A children’s literature course he thought would be an easy three credits ignited his passion for children’s books, a passion that led him to New York City and his first publishing-related job at the legendary bookstore, Books of Wonder.

For over two decades, Kevin has been one of the most highly regarded children’s book editors in the industry. At Scholastic Inc., he worked with Dav Pilkey on the original Captain Underpants. At Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where he served as an Editorial Director, Kevin worked with a veritable who’s who of authors and illustrators including Laurie Halse Anderson (Fever 1793, Chains), Spike and Tonya Lee (Please Baby Please), Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Derek Anderson and Lauren Thompson (Little Quack), Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys), Jim Benton (Franny K. Stein) Angela Johnson, Kadir Nelson, Cynthia Rylant, and Loren Long. As an Executive Editor at Disney Press, Kevin developed and produced the Vampirina Ballerina series and edited books by Matthew Cordell, Barney Saltzberg, and Chris Barton.

In 2018, Kevin became an agent for the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, primarily focusing on writer-illustrators and diverse voices.

These days, Kevin lives in Newburgh, New York in a two hundred year old farmhouse with his husband, Phil and dog named Kat. Most of the time, you’ll find him gardening in the yard, biking around the Hudson Valley, or sitting on the back porch (which often doubles as his office).

Reviews

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book to read to the kids. There is a cute story, but by the time we stopped reading it I was so tired of it, I think I hid it under the bed. There are cute hidden pictures to challenge your kids to find. So if you want a good book to read to your kids -- this is it but BEWARE. YOU MIGHT READ IT 100 TIMES TOO.

[Darcy Leech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in rhyming iambic pentameter, I have sang this song in a sing-song voice, as a rap, like an opera and read with many different tempos. The rhythm and rhyme of this book is just about perfect. As a parent, I love to read to my child, but I especially like books that give my tongue a challenge or the chance to dance. This book is a fun romp through a child's imagination that anyone who like oral interpretation can appreciate. If you want your child to love words, read a book that lets you have fun as an adult sharing your voice with a child. I loved when my son would pick this book off the shelf.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are not my favorite style, but this was a great read for Toddler Tales. The rhyming was fun, and everyone liked making the "whoo-whoos" together. The correct "whoo-whoos" are very important.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book on trains that kept my preschoolers interested, but bored my 5 yr old. Not an original concept either, since many train books talk about the trains duties in real life, but with the pictures showing toy trains and their environment. The fact that the end showed a boy asleep with his train at the end of the story was fun for my kids, as they could totally relate. The illustrations were nice too. As an adult I love reading books that rhyme, so this gets an extra star for that as well. Overall, not bad, especially if your kids love trains.

[Kelli Chimchirian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 6 month old daughter's favorite book! The illustrations are beautiful and it's not annoying to read over and over every day.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

If your child likes trains then this is the book for you. My son will sleep with this book

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Another one I want to add to Cam's collection.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about stuffed animals going for a choo choo ride while it’s owner sleeps ... cute book

[Taylar Sizemore]

Great for early elementary grades, especially for whole group read aloud, teachers can use the call and response method when reading, really beneficial for teaching active listening.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 2 year old daughter freaked out every time she heard a train go through town. The "choo-choo" and "whooooo-whoooo's" scared her until I read this book. Now, she runs to me mimicking the trains cho-cho's and who-who's. I will forever be thankful I nabbed this book at the library - not only was it a worthy read, but it helped my daughter understand there was nothing to fear about trains. Now, she LOVES them.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son would mark this 5 stars, but he'd do that for any book with a train on the cover :-). It's a nicely paced book, but it is the sort of book that you will tire of reading more than 5 times a day (which we do...).

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think we are growing out of books like this, thank merciful Zeus.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-schoolers love making that "whoo whooo!" sound.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the simple rhymes and the illustrations in contrasting primary colors. Sweet.

[Khari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books I don't know how to react to. Half of me is like "This is awesome!" the other half is like "I don't get it."

It's a poem about a hard working train. It's good because it explains all of the things trains do, like hauling freight around, and the economic ecosystems that are built around them. All good. It also accurately portrays the imagination of children who make mountains out of hatboxes and stuffed animals for their trains to go over. Also good. It's poetry. Yay.

But sometimes the poetry is just plain weird. The author is so possessed by following the strictures of the poetic form that he throws in really odd grammatical structures. It's not a problem for an adult to understand, but they are so odd that I guarantee that a child wouldn't understand them. They are so unusual and extremely marked in the linguistic sense that they pack a really powerful punch, but they are in a weird place that you wouldn't want to draw attention to. Like "Engine black and red caboose." I had to read it five times to understand his only intent was to have the colors and rhyme loose and caboose. Changing the order of adjective and noun is unusual, and it's usually done to make some sort of artistic point, to focus attention, but there's no attention to focus, there's no hidden symbolism, there's no overarching theme to be grasped, he just smashed the words in because that's the only way they fit.

Another one was 'to the roundhouse you are bound'. I wonder if roundhouse has some sort of special meaning associated with trains? I haven't the faintest idea, but 'bound' is also fairly odd. It's fairly archaic and doesn't really match the rest of the diction of the book. It makes sense that he would use it, it rhymes with sound, and it moves the narrative along in the correct direction, it's just a little out of character with the rest of the diction, and again, focuses attention in an odd place.

So, I don't know what to think of this book.

Story: Narrative poem
Art: Meh
Price: $6.99

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often give simple picture books 5 stars but I've been reading this story aloud to my children for about 8 years now and I still enjoy the rhythm and rhymes. The simple pictures have enough detail to keep kids looking without being busy and cluttered. It's a very soothing book to read at bedtime. And for a paperback book we got as a hand me down in the first place, it hasn't fallen apart yet, so bravo to this sturdy edition published by Harcourt.

[Alison Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your 2-4 year old likes trains than this is a solid winner. It has a playful, easy-to-read style and parents can have a lot of fun with the train noises. The illustrations are bright with primary colors and feature classic toys. Kevin Lewis and Dennis Kirk have written other books together ("My Truck is Stuck!" comes to mind) too. If your child enjoys this one I'd recommend "Big Choo" by Stephen Shaskan or "Steam Train, Dream Train" by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most actively engaging books I've ever read. The best part of the book is that the most engaging character, the blue puppy, comes out of nowhere in the third act. The tension the author builds is palpable as your heart races alongside the workers trying to deliver the freight in time. When the last page finally comes, a warm sense of calm, like a blanket, settles over you as rest finally comes. If I could give it 10 stars, I would.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ages: 2 - 4

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[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, rhyming story about a train’s adventure over the space of a day. Great illustrations and lots of things to talk about. My nearly 2yo likes to point out each of the animals she recognises and make the corresponding animal sound, and she thinks the page where the train’s whistle echos is hilarious.

[Meg Oh. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book we have. My 1 year old carries it around and flings other books away. Super fun to read.

TIP: Make your voice super high for the "high and steep" part, really low "for the low and deep" part, and really creepy for the "see the darkness, hear the sound" part. Guaranteed banger.

[Salih Yasin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Son loves it. Got the kindle version because we couldn't find the book for bedtime. Great book for bed or any other time. Muy soon has wanted it read almost every day since her was two.

[Hannah Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short book that tells us the sounds that a train makes as it travels into the city. Sounds are great for children. Children are often fascinated with trains or other toys. This is a great book that shows us trains and other toys as well as people working together.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations on this book remind me of an I spy book. Kind of a whimsical and zoomed way in. A good book for train lovers, nothing wrong with it, just didn't really speak to me all that much.

[Jenna Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clever and engaging book with super vivid illustrations. Love how the story shows the train navigating around boys room on the track he created including close-ups of the different sections. And cute how he falls asleep holding train in the end

[Susan Dusen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised when my daughter chose this book to purchase, since she had never expressed any interest in trains. Nevertheless, it turned out to be one of her all-time favorite books. That was years ago, but I still remember the sing-song rhythm and how much we enjoyed reading it together.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this rhyming little board book a child's toys ride a toy freight train all around his room from morning until bedtime. Over mountains and rivers, through city and country and more. Great illustrations and imaginative play.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Canal Winchester Library. Dada and Jack picked it because he loves trains. Jack absolutely loved the train and all the toys. He enjoyed making the chugga chugga choo choo noise, and he thought it was so sweet that the little boy slept with his train at the end.

[Pippa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for reading aloud at bedtime to little train lovers.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice simple book of a child have his train go on tracks all over his room. My 14 month old has me read this book to her several times a day (or as many as I'm willing).