Country Crossing [Hardcover]

Jim Aylesworth (Author), Ted Rand (Illustrator)

Book Description

Recreates the sights and sounds at a country crossing one summer night, as an old car patiently awaits the passing of a long and noisy freight train. Whooawoo!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It is a quiet country road, slumbering in the softness of summer moonlight. The peacefulness of the blue night is soon broken by the sputtering of a 1920s-vintage car as it rolls to a stop at a railroad crossing. And then, everything happens at once. The crickets' singing and the owl's hooting are abruptly overpowered by the clanging of the crossing bell, and a far-off whistle picks up volume as a train roars closer. The speeding wheels churn up leaves, sparks fly and smoke billows into the sky. A man and boy get out of the auto to enjoy the spectacle of the train cars hurtling by. The reader is first lulled by the tranquility, then jarred awake, then, just as suddenly, put back into Rand's dreamy country nightscape, as the old car bumps over the tracks and fades away. Rand's nostalgic paintings--rendered primarily in blues and yellows--feature trees dramatically silhouetted against inky skies and bursts of color for the crossing signal and railroad cars. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2--Country Crossing re-creates the peaceful night sounds of the country as an old motor car "putt putts" its way down a dirt road and comes to a stop at a railroad crossing just as the bell begins to ring and the sound of an approaching train is heard in the distance. The car's passengers--an old man and a young boy--watch as the train noisily passes by. Serenity once again returns to the country as the train disappears and the motor car continues on its way. Aylesworth is able to make the sounds in his text come alive. Readers will actually hear the soft chirping of the crickets and feel the energy and excitement brought about by the loud "chooachooing" of the oncoming train. Rand has successfully interpreted the text with his beautiful illustrations. Done in sumi brush and chalk, these drawings work hand in hand with Aylesworth's writing. The soft yellow moon reflecting its color on the car and on a nearby puddle evoke a feeling of warmth while the bright red circles of the crossing light and hard yellow stream of the train's headlight reflect the urgency and importance of the train's job. Together, author and illustrator have made the simple act of a train traveling through the night seem almost poetic. --Rachel Fox, Port Washington Public Library, NY
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (March 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689315805
• ISBN-13: 978-0689315800
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #891,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for two through five year olds!, April 5, 1999

By 

Anne Drolet([e-mail]) (Waverly, Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Crossing (Hardcover)

We first met this book in our house when my now nine-year-old was two, and it quickly became a favorite. I have bought it for many friends and school-room libraries, and the response is always as positive as our own. The way that Aylesworth uses his sentence structure and sound-effect words makes the reader move at a pace which corresponds with the story action. Reading it with children is always a fun adventure because they love to pick up on and "read" the sound-effect words like "splishhh" and "red on, red off." While it is wonderful for any "train" boy, it is a great book that cuts across gender lines. When we gave a copy of this book to my son's day-care center, the teacher would have the kids sit their chairs in a line and then the whole group would pretend that they too were a part of the story and train, with self-created hand signals for the sounds and little voices reciting each sound effect in unison. Definitely a must for any pre-schooler's library!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Part of the Permanent Collection, September 15, 2001

By 

Pamela R. Burkley (Mendota Heights, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Country Crossing (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book. We have checked it out from the library repeatedly, and now I am buying a copy to to add to our family's collection of children's book. My two boys, ages 3 and 5, love this book. They love just about any book about trains, but what is so special about this one is the setting, the sights and more than anything, the sounds. As an adult, I too am captivated by how well the author has taken just a few moments in time and brought them vividly to life by describing the sights and sounds of this country scene. No words are spoken between boy and grandson; as readers we participate in this scene through the illustrations, the descriptions of the sounds before, during and after the train passes and our own imaginations. I highly recommend this book!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A peaceful, comforting book that pulls you in, May 26, 2000

By 

Suzanne Amara (MA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Country Crossing (Hardcover)

It took 3 or 4 readings for me to start really loving this book, and my boys now ask for it often. It's such a simple tale---a father and son riding an old car at night on a remote wooded road, and a train going by--they stop at the crossing and watch it. However, it is told so well and the pictures are so peaceful (except when the train is going right by!) that you feel relaxed just reading it, and wish that somehow you could hop into the book and go to that long ago night and place. My 5 and 2 year olds listen with interest over and over to this book!