Locomotive by Brian Floca

[Mandy]

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[Carolyn H]

This book is gorgeous. The exquisite details, the nuanced perspectives. If this book had been published when my sons were young (they are college age now), they would have studied the pictures for days.

[Strait]

I had the pleasure of hearing Brian Floca at the National Book Festival this past September. He spent four years doing the research for this book and drew the illustrations from historical photographs and his own photographs taken as he drove the route of the Trans Continental Railroad. The watercolor illustrations are exquisite from the end pages to double spreads to single pages to smaller pictures surrounded by text. Stunning illustrations of scenery along the way as well as details of the locomotives used in 1869. Floca also uses colorful and varied fonts for "train noises" like "CLANG CLANG". This book is a wealth of information about trains in this time period. The illustrations vividly bring to life the text. It is a book that is worth "pouring over". The illustrations are detailed and engaging. This book exceeds the normal 32 pages for a picture book. I think this will also be a strong contender for the Sibert award.