Dinosaur Train [Hardcover]

John Steven Gurney (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

All Aboard!

Have your tickets ready for the most exciting ride of your life on the Dinosaur Train!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Jesse thinks about, dreams of, and lives for two things: dinosaurs and trains. One night, he hears a loud noise and feels the house shake, and, with a cry of "ALL ABOARD!," the boy finds himself embarking on an exciting train ride with all sorts of dinosaurs, eating and having a small adventure with them. The story is slight, but it's the idea of enjoying a good time with benign happy dinos, together with the brilliantly colored and lovingly detailed illustrations, that will stay with young readers and probably spark many requests for bedtime repetitions.
Marian Drabkin, formerly at Richmond Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 1. Jesse takes a fanciful ride on a train full of dinosaurs in a daydream inspired by his favorite interests: "Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains." Jesse climbs aboard the train on a huge, spiked tail (the tail belongs to a giant purple engineer, appropriately clad in overalls and cap). The passengers on the train would be right at home on Amtrak (the little old lady, the conductor in uniform and spectacles, business folk reading the paper, and travelers in jeans and T-shirts), except for the fact that they happen to be dinosaurs of all sizes and colors, their long necks and tails poking from every open window. When the train goes through a tunnel, they all must duck, and when they rush to one side to check out a volcano, they tip over the train. The Day-Glo bright colors, very simple text and the dinos' hilariously goofy facial expressions will attract many young train and dinosaur aficionados; they'll appeal to plenty of other picture-book fans, too. Diane Foote
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; First Edition edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060292458
• ISBN-13: 978-0060292454
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Steven Gurney has illustrated over 120 books for children He is the illustrator of some of America's most popular chapter books series. Among these are Random House's The A to Z Mysteries and Scholastic's The Bailey School Kids, and Big Apple Barn. His latest series is The Calendar Mysteries, an offshoot of The A to Z Mysteries, featuring the younger siblings of Josh and Ruth Rose.
John is also is the author and illustrator of Dinosaur Train, published by Harper Collins in 2002. Dinosaur Train was inspired by his young son Jesse's obsession with both trains and dinosaurs. It depicts a child's fanciful journey on an oversized train operated by colorful dinos.
John grew up in Bucks County Pennsylvania. His first and greatest inspirations were Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. As he approached fifth grade his influences switched to Bugs Bunny cartoons and Mad Magazine. He studied art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and spent his summers drawing caricatures on the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ. He lived in NYC until 1997, when he moved to Brattleboro, Vermont where he currently lives with his wife, his two children, and his husky. When he is not writing and illustrating he travels around the country sharing his creative process with school children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Aboard for Fun....., November 10, 2002

By 

Roz Levine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dinosaur Train (Hardcover)

"Thursday was a day much like any other for Jesse. Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains. Just before bed, Jesse drew one last picture. Suddenly there was a loud noise and the whole house began to shake..." Hop aboard! From the dining car, to the sky window, to the tunnel up ahead and more, join Jesse and his prehistoric friends for the ride of a lifetime on the dinosaur train..... John Steven Gurney really captures the essence of young dinosaur and train lovers in this endearing little picture book. His simple text is kept to a minimum, as he lets his vibrant and evocative artwork tell the story. Each dazzling two-page spread engages, and is filled with bold color, playful details, and marvelous facial expressions, that will captivate little ones, and send imaginations soaring. Perfect for preschoolers, Dinosaur Train is a read-aloud crowd pleaser, and is sure to become an instant favorite at your house.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Wonderful!, October 3, 2002

By 

Gayle Martin (Alpharetta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dinosaur Train (Hardcover)

Dinosaur Train is absolutely wonderful. What a perfect combination - trains and dinosaurs. The bright, bold illustrations capture your attention and draw you into the story. The illustrations are so creative and fun. Any child will love this book, especially those who love trains and dinosaurs!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great pictures, great concept, bland text/story., August 14, 2007

By 

Karen K. Hart (Austin, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dinosaur Train (Hardcover)

The text of Dinosaur Train starts out promisingly enough; it is something to the effect of, "Thursday was a day much like any other for Jesse. Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains." But it goes downhill a bit from there, like the author created these beautiful images and then decided to add notes at the last minute. Sometimes a speaker is identified by the text, sometimes not; there's one point where some confusion could be the result. I almost think the story would stand better without any words than with the ones that are there. Jesse is the only character with any development to speak of (and I'm not sure there's even much there); removing the text would give us an opportunity to look more closely at other characters. Better text might actually add a plot (the plot, at this point, is basically that Jesse gets on a train, the train tips over, and Jesse tells the dinosaurs how to right the train).
The combination of dinosaurs and trains is irresistible, and I love the details in Jesse's toys and the way clothes somehow look perfectly natural on the dinosaurs. But the text actually makes Jesse seem too bossy to me, and it's amazing that such vibrant dinosaurs can be so submissive.
This concept is as breathtaking as that of the Polar Express, and my 2 1/2-year-old has had us read this book to him about a gazillion times, so he clearly appreciates it. It's just one of those that I don't like reading aloud again and again because the story doesn't do much for me.