Review by Booklist Review
In this picture-book introduction to trains, the rhythmic, rhyming text often suggests the driving force and the sounds of an engine pulling many cars behind it. Steam engine, / gas engine, / electric engine too. / Chooka-chooka! Vroom zoom! / Hssss! Whoo-oo-whoo! / Railroad crossing. Signal flashing. / Down comes the gate. / Trains got to move on through. / Folks got to wait. / Trains run! The attractive picture illustrating the last few phrases offers an overhead view of a train rolling through town, with cars and trucks stopped at the crossing. Observant kids may wonder why the vehicles are driving on the left side of the road, but the town could be anywhere in the world. The digital illustrations create a series of well-composed scenes. When people are included, they represent a diverse population. This companion book to Trucks Roll (2007), Planes Fly (2013), and Boats Float (2015), which were also created by George Ella Lyon, her son Benn Lyon, and Mick Wiggins, is sure to attract young train-lovers.--Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Adding to their growing oeuvre of transportation books, the parent/child authors again pair up with Wiggins, this time riffing on all things train. In lively rhyming text, the Lyons touch on everything from toy trains to locomotives to box cars, even including a nod to The Little Engine That Could ("Can a train climb a mountain? I think it can!"). The refrain "Trains run!" repeats throughout, lending the songlike verse an energy seamlessly matched by Wiggins's vintage-style digital art (an "iron horse/ on its course" is a blur as speeding across a golden field). And for all its forward motion, delightful additions by Wiggins (animals tucked into most spreads, enormous fruits taking up a truck bed) offer myriad amusements to linger over. This team clearly knows what they're doing--their enthusiastic celebration fully captures the magic and majesty of trains. Ages 4--8. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1--This installment in a transportation series by George Ella Lyon and her son Benn takes on the world of trains. The jaunty story explores how trains are powered, the sounds they make, the different types of cars they pull, and much more. As in Planes Fly, Boats Float, and Trucks Roll, the rhyming text is set in large and bold font and the placement of the wording changes from page to page, which adds visual interest. Not only are different types of trains explored, but also the people who ride them, work on them, and the different terrains they travel through. To add to the fun, the refrain "Trains run!" is repeated throughout and will certainly encourage young readers to join in. Wiggins's digitally created illustrations capture the rhythm and flow of locomotives and there is a particularly dramatic spread of a train traveling over an awe-inspiring trestle bridge as people look on. VERDICT An excellent choice for storytimes and read-alouds everywhere.--Amy Nolan, St. Joseph Public Library, MI
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Review by Horn Book Review
This companion to Trucks Roll! (rev. 7/07), Planes Fly! (rev. 9/13), and Boats Float! (rev. 9/15) focuses on that classic of vehicle-loving preschoolers preoccupations: trains. Spare, rhythmic, rhyming text conveys snapshots of trains characteristics and journeys, smoothly incorporating train terminology (Line them up on the track / and couple them together) and touching on technical details (Toy train, circus train, / subway, or bullet / Got to have an engine / to push it or pull it). An energetic refrainSteam engine, / gas engine, electric engine too. / Chooka-chooka! Vroom zoom! / Hssss! Whoo-oo-whoo!briefly pauses the action and provides kid-pleasing opportunities for sound effects and participation. Wigginss cleanly designed, posterlike digital illustrations in subdued hues propel the various types of trains toward their destinations, with city scenes, dramatic natural landscapes, and in-station vignettes all highlighting locomotives appeal. The illustrations reward close observation with a few fantastical surprises (look for the giant fruit delivery; and is that a horse riding shotgun in the red convertible?). The Little Engine That Could even makes a cameo appearance. elissa gershowitz July/Aug p.113(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
