Blue Train, Green Train (Thomas & Friends) [Board book]

Rev. W. Awdry (Author), Tommy Stubbs (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

Thomas thee blue train works all day while Percy the green train works all night. Told in the simplest language, here is a charming tale of what they each do. PerfectÑand portableÑfor toddlers and their caregivers.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In the early 1940s, a loving father crafted a small, blue, wooden engine for his son, Christopher. The stories that this father, The Reverend W Awdry, made up to accompany this wonderful toy were first published in 1945. He continued to create new adventures and characters until 1972 when he retired from writing. Reverend Awdry died in 1997 at age 85.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Board book: 24 pages
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (June 26, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375839844
• ISBN-13: 978-0375839849
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 5.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,146 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute, Colorful Book - a review of "Blue Train, Green Train", November 17, 2007

By 

Pam Tee "Busy Mom" - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blue Train, Green Train (Thomas & Friends) (Board book)

This Bright-and-Early book does not have an Accelerated Reading designation. And while it is described by the publisher as being intended "for an even lower age group" than "Beginner Books", my own Mom-Guessimate for the reading level would be 2nd Grade. I say this because the vocabulary is quite beyond any 'beginner' I've known. Here's an example from one page near the end:

Up peeps the yellow sun!
Green train Percy now is done.
Home now to the Shed.
"Peep, peep"
The Shed is where
Percy can sleep.

Harder words include: clickety, orange, trikes, shadows, clouds, crates, stack, presents, and thick.

Now while all pages do not have as much text as the example above, the vocabulary is fairly consistent in it's difficulty.

Four Stars ::: This is a very nice book that tells the story of two friends who aren't on the same schedule. Percy is taking the mail at night, and Thomas is making his runs during the day.

For babies and toddlers there is a lot to talk about: colors and shapes, animals and things like eggs, bicycles and wagons. Fairly advanced readers could find this good practice if they are still interested in Thomas and Friends. For everyone else, it is a good Read-aloud. We liked the rhyme and colorful artwork. [No still photos from the television show in this book.]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for beginning readers, October 17, 2008

By 

Sand60 "Sand60" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blue Train, Green Train (Thomas & Friends) (Board book)

The other reviewer is correct as this is not a book for beginners, but it is an excellent book for kids who are interested in Thomas to learn about colors, shapes, and friendship. The rhymes are great and it is a pretty easy read (and you will end up reading this one over and over again). The only two trains in this book are Thomas and Percy, so it is nice that it doesn't introduce a lot of new trains and you can concentrate on the colors and shapes. If your kids are into Thomas you really can't go wrong with this one.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Thomas book, July 28, 2008

By 

J. Hoffman (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blue Train, Green Train (Thomas & Friends) (Board book)

I agree with the other reviewer that this book probably isn't the best for a beginning reader. My two year old loves it as a "read this to me book", and I like it so much more than the Thomas books that are stories from the tv shows (I don't really like the themes in the some of shows--teasing, naughtiness, "you get what's coming to you", etc). I think it would have been even better if it had still photos, that is the best part of the other Thomas books. But regardless this book is very catchy (as any Dr. Suess-type book would be) and it is my favorite Thomas book. It is my toddler's favorite Thomas book too, I think he likes the rhymes. He brings it to me to read as often as he brings me his truck and car books. (He has a few of the Thomas books from the tv show as well and doesn't touch them).