Customer Reviews

Casey Jones's Fireman: The Story of Sim Webb (Phyllis Fogelman Books)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book sings with the cadence of the South and tells a wonderful story in spite of it's dramatic and TRAGIC end. My three year old loves it and has become one of our most requested stories.

Got this book for my rail fan pre-schooler who knows all the facts about Casey Jones. I thought this would round out what we know of the true story by providing more information about Sim. Very disappointed. This is some weird, angel/devil story (one very scary picture of the devil's face caused me to close the book!) that really has nothing to do with Casey Jones or Sim Webb. It's a good book if you're into heaven and hell, but we're into trains! Not a book for rail fans.

A great book that mixes the story of a legendary folk hero and a supernatural battle between heaven and hell. Nancy Farmer is a great writer and the oil paintings bring the story to life.

I came upon this book just browsing in a childrens book store. I love how the story hints at a supernatural struggle in the midst of a folk story about the early days of railroad. Beautifully written and the pictures are gorgeous.

We read this book as part of our Tall Tales unit for homeschool. The story is told by Sim Webb and details what it could have been like riding with Casey Jones on his final train run. It is well-written story and captures alot of the worry and tension Sim's may have felt on Casey's last train run.

The part that bothered me was Casey Jones taking a whistle from a sinister man at a saloon. The man claims it is made from Gabriel's trumpet. Casey Jones doesn't look as heroic in the telling of the story. Casey Jones is enraptured with the seven pipe whistle and discounts any of Sim's concerns. In the end, Sim wonders if blowing Gabriel's whistle contributed to the accident. The hints of judgment day were out of place with the Casey Jones story.

The book gave us opportunities to discuss the importance of not being in a hurry to the point of recklessness and to listen to others when they are voicing concerns. Although, it didn't end up as one of the requested books to read a second time.

We picked up this book thinking it would be an interesting biography of Sim Webb. Since our sons LOVE trains and the story of Casey Jones, we were all looking forward to reading it.

Unfortunately, after a good beginning, and in spite of some excellent artwork, it descends into a bizarre story about the trumpet of Gabriel.

It IS a folk tale. Wish we'd realized that before we'd bothered to open it.

We've visited the Casey Jones house in Jackson, TN and studied the story a good bit over the years. I was looking for a book that told the Casey Jones story from Sim's point of view. Instead of a fascinating look at at the story from another angle, I got a weird supernatural story that changes the spirit of the true story. I wish I could give it zero stars, but I guess the illustrations do deserve one. This book was a HUGE disappointment.