Choo Choo

by Virginia Lee Burton

The adventures of a beautiful little locomotive who decided to run away from her humdrum duties.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Trains, Transport, Classics, 1st Grade

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1936

About the author

Virginia Lee Burton was an American illustrator and children's book author. Burton produced seven self-illustrated children's books. She married Boston Museum school sculptor, George Demetrios, with whom she had two sons and lived in Folly Cove, Gloucester. She died at 59.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something special about the way Virginia tells a story. She uses things that don't interest me and yet the story is still interesting. There was the snow plow and now a train.

The artwork is of its day, from 1937, which is during the depression. They didn't use much color in those days. The drawings appear to be charcoal sketches. They are detailed and beautiful. The story is fast paced at a break neck speed. I could see this being an exciting short.

We follow a train who loves doing her train thing. She has people helping her and she carries people all over. One day she wants to be fast and free, so the train takes off by herself and scares everyone with how fast she is. She distressed animals, causes traffic pile-ups at crossings and people climb steeples to get away from this fast train. She even jumps a drawbridge. She eventually loses steam and comes to rest alone in a forest, but lucky for her, her human companions come looking for her and all turns out well.

The story is dated and yet, it's not. There is a longing for freedom and devil-may-care attitude that we know so well today. The story still holds up well. I don't know if kids will like it or not. I think if they are a train fan they will, and otherwise all the black and white drawings will probably bore them.

I do love Virginia lee Burton's work and it still holds up. I need to read more. This story was for her son.

[J9 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for books on trains for my 2-yr-old twins, I was pleasantly surprised to find this written by Burton, the author of one of my favorite childhood books, Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel. The same beautiful illustrations and detailed story line as the Steam Shovel, Choo Choo instead talks about a steam engine and his daily woes. A book my 5-yr-old got into as well, we loved this one as a family.

[JADE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but my kids thought it was dragging 😂 like “when will you be done!?” 🤨 For a children’s book it’s quite long but the story is Stimulating and even hilarious imo. This one is a classic. Highly recommend if your child has the patience. I thought this was a cute read. ♥️🚂🛤

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Once upon a time there was a little engine. Her name was CHOO CHOO. She was a beautiful little engine. All black and shiny.

Premise/plot: Choo Choo was originally published in 1937. The original illustrations by Virginia Lee Burton have been colorized by Lauren Pettapiece. Choo Choo is the story of a little engine who is a bit naughty. What does she do that is naughty? She decides one day that she does NOT want to pull cars anymore--she wants to run free and go where she wants. This doesn't work out well for her!!!

My thoughts: I haven't decided if Choo Choo is more or less naughty than Thomas the Tank Engine. I do know that I like this one. The text is quite enjoyable. It is a bit text-heavy so this one might be great for train lovers with a longer attention span. (Freight Train is light on text, Choo Choo is NOT.) But the illustrations are what really make this one so delightful.


Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 9 out of 10

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another superior picture/story book by the American master Virginia Lee Burton - even the drawing of her son on the dedication page is lovely. A little engine that longs to break free and explore. When the chance arrives things get a little out of control. Luckily Choo Choo has lots of friends and in the end comes to appreciate things just as they've always been. The black and white art work is evocative and illustrate the action perfectly. I'd place this one alongside the best of Burton's books like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and The Little House.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children have enjoyed the books of Virginia Lee Burton nearly as much as I did when a young boy. This particular book is not nearly as well-known as Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel or Katy, but it still has the same appeal as the other books.

This particular book deals with a train that wants to be a little more than it is -- it wants to go faster and easier -- by itself, without pulling any coaches. It takes off at the first opportunity and is chased by its engineer all the way to a dead end, where the engine comes to realize that it's okay to have a job to do.

The simplistic, easy story still reads well with children, and the art is just unique enough that it appeals to the average youngster.

A recommended read.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Lee Burton, who brought us Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, brings us a cautionary tale about a little engine who runs away from her job of pulling coaches. Instead, she escapes and sets off on a solo spree across the country, stopping only when she loses her tender and runs out of fuel and water on an abandoned track. Her owners retrieve her from her exhausted solitude, and she decides that since running away "isn't much fun," she will return to her job.

The story is exceptionally well written, with a dramatic pacing that builds to an exciting climax as Choo Choo tears across the countryside. Highly auditory pre-readers will especially enjoy the repetition and sound effects that punctuate the story, giving it a rhythm and sense of excitement. Those who are more visually oriented may be less attracted to it: it is illustrated in old-fashioned black-and-white charcoal, and while some readers may be unimpressed by the lack of "flash" in the artwork, others may be troubled by Choo-Choo's darkly sinister resting place in the woods. Still, even without color, the pictures are full of movement and life. The story is action-packed, and carries the simple message that those who try to escape their responsibilities may find that their "freedom" isn't all they imagined it to be.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We found a Netflix treat: we just watched Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, which features animated adaptations of children's storybooks with celebrity narrators. This story was narrated by Bonnie Raitt and we just loved the format. It reminded us of the Tumblebooks animations that we occasionally watch online. As the book is narrated, we followed along with a slightly animated version of the illustrations. It was very entertaining and we really enjoyed watching all of the episodes on the DVD.

This is a fun story of a wayward engine who gets into and out of trouble. The story has an old fashioned feel, which makes sense considering that it was first published in 1937. Still, it has an entertaining quality that has stood the test of time.

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic story about a train engine named, (what else?) 'Choo-Choo' who is fed up with lugging passengers and freight around and wants to set off on her own to show everyone just how fast and splendid she really is. Of course, chaos ensues (as well as confusion and delay)

This was Virginia Lee Burton's first book, who wrote it for her son when he was four after they had visited the train station. The artwork is very dated (AND SHOULD NEVER BE UPDTATED!) It is splendid just the way it is, although I wouldn't say no to some color. The text however, is a bit cheesy.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me of Bill Peet's The Caboose Who Got Loose which we also enjoyed very much. Found this up in the attic in a box of books.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a Kindle version through the library READS system. Almost great throughout for a Kindle translation of a picture book except for one page. I'm glad we have a physical copy.

Read physical copy for MP 1st enrichment.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little engine gets tired of pulling the people and baggage back and forth from the city each day. She wants to be noticed. In the end, she learns that running away isn’t good and is content with her good life.

Ages: 3 - 7

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main story of the week for our kindergarten. A good argument for why these older books still need to be read by kids — sure, the artwork isn’t flashy, but it’s beautifully drawn, and every day I’ve read it this week, my son has asked for a repeat. The train sounds are wonderfully rhythmic as a read aloud.

[Stephen Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite book when I was 5.

[Ronyell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read at least two books from Virginia Lee Burton when I was younger and they were “The Little House” and “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel” and I had enjoyed both books immensely! So, I then picked up another book by Virginia Lee Burton called “Choo Choo” which was quite a unique read and is one that I would definitely recommend for children!

The story is about a beautiful little locomotive named Choo Choo who would pull trains from the city to the country and back again every day. She was always accompanied by three workers who were named Jim the Engineer, Oley the Fireman and Archibald the Conductor who would all come together to take care of Choo Choo. One day however, Choo Choo was getting tired of pulling trains in between the cities and the country and she decided to run away from the station and show everyone in town how beautiful she really is!

What sort of adventures will Choo Choo get herself into?

Read this book to find out!

Wow! I never would have thought that I would enjoy this book so much! Just like Virginia Lee Burton’s other works, this book has a classic and old fashioned feel as we get to see how trains look like during the 1930s. I also loved the fact that this story has a different twist to the usual children’s story about trains, as it details the story about a young train running away from its owners, which I rarely read about in previous books about trains. Virginia Lee Burton does a great job at making this book both cute and exciting at the same time as I loved the fact that Choo Choo’s owners really do care about what happened to Choo Choo when she goes missing as it brings in a heartwarming element to the story. I was also sitting on the edge of my seat as I wondered if Choo Choo was ever going to make it back home safely and I liked the way that Virginia Lee Burton detailed the dangers of running away from home as Choo Choo gets into all kinds of danger on her travels and it would help teach kids about the dangers of running away from home by themselves. Virginia Lee Burton’s artwork is quite unique in this book as most of the images are in black and white colorings, giving this book an old fashioned and bold feel and I also enjoyed seeing the images of Choo Choo herself as she is drawn as a cute looking locomotive, which strongly reminds me of the image from “The Little Engine that Could!”



The only real issue with this book is that there is one image in this book where Choo Choo ends up going through a scary looking forest that might frighten smaller children. The trees are drawn in a much eerier manner compared to the rest of the images and parents might want to go through the images in this scene first to see if their children can handle such scary imagery.

Overall, “Choo Choo” is a truly cute book that children who enjoy reading about trains will definitely get a kick out of! I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the image of the scary forest might scare some smaller children.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Choo Choo: The Story of a Little Engine Who Ran Away. Did everyone have a miniature train set when they were growing up? Somehow, this story manages to animate that lost world of the tiny coal-fed locomotive, train station, crossings, the whistle and the bell, the track meandering through the countryside past the cows, horses, and pigs. What a naughty locomotive, so shiny and vain--she wants everyone to notice her, and notice her they will, when she runs away without her load. Traveling way too fast, she wreaks havoc everywhere she goes, until finally she ends up on a dusty unused track, run out of fuel. The engineer, fireman, and conductor have to chase her down, using a 'streamliner' to follow her. The glamorous streamliners were introduced in 1934, as a way to woo passengers back (away from their love affair with the automobile), so this is sort of a collision of the classic and the new. https://www.american-rails.com/stream... Lesson learned: Choo Choo doesn't like ending up all alone, and she thankfully goes back to her duties. Alas, she probably lives in a railroad museum now. There is a film about Virginia Lee Burton that I'd like to see. "Her books were known for their themes of 'importance of teamwork, environmental awareness, perseverance, and adapting to change while still recognizing the importance of the past.'" VIRGINIA LEE BURTON: A SENSE OF PLACE (2007). The drawings evoke the style of painting and drawing of the 30s, and remain much beloved to this day. She apparently drew and perfected the images first, then wrote the story. That shows - they are beautiful compositions, dynamic and evocative.

[Jackie B. - Death by Tsundoku · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adorable.

I read this book as part of my journey to read all of Virginia Lee Burton's complete works. There are recurring themes throughout her books regarding the personalities, ambitions, and "adventures" of vehicles. This theme is particularly interesting to me since I've grown up in a world where the inanimate can be animate. Cars, The Little Engine That Could and Beauty and the Beast are just the tip of that iceberg. But, Burton's books are different.

I like Choo Choo for it telling a story within a confined frame. Choo Choo is a train who wants everyone to be impressed with her. She "runs" off away from the cars she's been pulling to try and achieve this. However, with her speed, Choo Choo eventually gets lost. It is a good fable about what it means to go good work, to be humble, and why you should be careful not to get lost.

This is a great story for younger children, particularly those enamored with vehicles.

[J. Boo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choo Choo is tired of her humdrum life as a commuter train and decides to run away, pursued by her engineer and the rest of her staff.

It's a decent read - and the art is nice - but it isn't as deft or emotionally compelling as her other works. 4DS/2DD were OK with it but haven't been pursuing me with demands for a re-read the way they did with Burton's more popular trio (Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel/The Little House/Katie and the Big Snow). I'm sure someone train-obsessed would appreciate "Choo Choo" more, and bitterly rue that one of my small cousins recently (and abruptly) switched his fetish from "All Things Train" to "Ninja Turtles 24x7".

.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reprint of Burton’s first published book is still entertaining for a whole new generation of readers. Choo-Choo, a small coal engine, gets tired of her routine and takes a fast paced joyride through the countryside and city until she ends up stranded in the forest on an abandoned track. Her faithful caretakers rescue her and she happily gets back to work. Burton’s hand is heavy with the charcoal – an appropriate touch in a book about a coal engine, and time has lent a nostalgic air to the otherwise colorful illustrations. A simple, fun story that is warmly welcomed back to library and family bookshelves.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love the cover design on this one. I like the style of the illustrations. I also like the way the text is set in different shapes. I did not like the train's name being in all caps all the time. CHOO CHOO gets pretty annoying if only for that. I also wasn't a huge fan of the story itself—it's well enough done, I just didn't like it. It reminds me a lot of Tootle, which I don't love either.

[Brett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is definitely of its time, meant for when most kids had much longer attention spans (maybe because there were less options in the way of tv screens & monitors?) so it's definitely on the longish side for its intended age group. However, my test subject loves trains so much that it was still a hit with him at 2 1/2. The new anniversary edition is just lovely, too - I don't know why illustrations were so commonly printed in black-&-white, but seeing them freshly colorized really gave them an impact.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

January 2018 - charmingly old-fashioned (although a bit disappointing that poor Choo Choo doesn't end up enjoying her day off) - immediate hit with Ben. A bit on the longer side, but good for a read-aloud.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my son's absolutely favorite book when he was around three years old. A true classic!

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 1937, this new edition features color illustrations.

[superawesomekt · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love Virginia Lee Burton, and this book is one of our favorites! A classic story about running away and finding it's not all it's cracked up to be.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little train engine tires of pulling a coach full of people and baggage from the little town to the big city, so she runs away. Big trouble!

[Esther May · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is cute book especially for my 4 year old who is really into trains.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not disappoint me at all. Loved it.

[George Hammerbacher iii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good audio download. My son loves this book.

[Vincent Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story, good moral lesson. Captivated two out four of my boy's attention during storytime.