All Aboard the Dinotrain (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Howard Fine (Illustrator) "They're loading up the dinotrain With coal and lumber, oil and grain..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2 The adventurous reptiles from Dinosailors (Harcourt, 2003) are back, this time boarding a train as foreshadowed in the ending of the previous adventure. The stage is set by the endpapers, which depict the dinocrew: the Stegosaurus is the conductor, the T. rex is the porter, etc. Engineer Brachiosaurus is appropriately clad in striped overalls and denim cap. After loading the train, the dinosaurs are ready for action, yet a series of misadventures awaits. Too heavy, they dinopush and later jetty the dinofreight. After happily soaring through a tunnel, they enjoy the roller-coaster dinoride until they have a harrowing incident with a missing bridge, leaving them dinoflying into a lake. The crew returns home for hugs, vowing never to board a train again. The final pages show the creatures looking curiously at a plane…. Though there is perhaps an overabundance of dinowords, children will delight in them. The rollicking, rhyming text is great for reading aloud. Fine's playful, colorful dinosaurs are remarkably expressive and full of child appeal. The large scale of the book and the dynamic, dramatic quality of the pictures make it well suited for storytime sharing. And with such subject matter dinosaurs and trains who could go too far wrong? Although similar to John Steven Gurney's Dinosaur Train (HarperCollins, 2002), this book will be welcome in many collections. Robin L. Gibson, Granville Parent Cooperative Preschool, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. The brightly hued, energetic saurian gang that tumbled eagerly atop a steam train at the end of Dinosailors (2003) find further peril and excitement in this rollicking continuation. It's a slow trip up the mountain, but a wild careen down: "A dark and narrow dinotunnel / Sucks and spits them through its funnel. / Out the shoot [sic] and down the slide, / A roller-coaster dinoride!" Though the outing ends in disaster at a washed-out bridge, young fans--particularly those who have already ridden on John Steven Gurney's Dinosaur Train (2002)--will happily join Fine's full-size, naturalistically rendered dinosaurs for the ride. And what's next? "We'll never take another train. . . . / But how about a dinoplane?" John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152052372
• ISBN-13: 978-0152052379
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #16,536 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rollicking good ride!, April 15, 2006

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

A train trip inspired Deb Lund to write All Aboard the Dinotrain. Howard Fine has illustrated fourteen books (give or take a few) according to his count.

Written in whimsical rhyme, All Aboard the Dinotrain takes children on an exciting Dinotrain trip. The cargo is loaded, the coal is stoked, the whistle blows and off the dinos go on their train adventure.

They go up steep hills and through dark tunnels. The cars tip left and right but the dinos all lean way out and hang on tight. And when the train won't stop, danger is near. The trestle is out and all of the dinos fear for their safety.

What will happen when the train comes to the end of the line? Will the train go into the water? Will the dinos be saved? Whew! If they get out alive they won't ever take another train trip. But how will they travel? All Aboard the Dinotrain will give children all the answers and a lot of fun reading the adventures of the dinotrain.

Armchair interviews says: All Aboard the Dinotrain is a rollicking good ride and children will enjoy reading it again and again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Meets a need; Who Could've Predicted?, October 27, 2007

By	Hoosier (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

I have two young sons, as well as a baby daughter. My sons are obsessed with, respectively, dinosaurs and trains. So now I have a book that can satisfy both of them when they are on my lap and begging for a book. I must not be the only dad in this situation, since there are a few picturebooks about dinosairs on trains.

Before becoming a dad, it had never occured to me that there was a pressing need for books that combined paleobiology with locomotive transport. Who knew? But this is the best of the lot, and I still have not become bored with it. Given how many times I have now read it, that is the strongest recommendation I can give a children's book. If you are a parent, you know what I mean.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book, September 12, 2007

By	C. Nixon (Arlington, TX United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is such a fun book. My little guy loves dinosaurs and we read this book over and over again. Great pictures and a fun, fun, fun story. Love to see more dino books from Ms. Lund.