Down by the Station [Paperback]

Will Hillenbrand (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Join Will Hillenbrand's group of mischievous, playful, and sleepy baby animals on their way to the children's zoo. You'd better hurry, though . . . they can't be late to greet the first busload of children!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Down by the station, early in the morning," before any visitors arrive, who exactly is riding that zoo train? Hop aboard and find out! See the elephant calf waving good-bye to Mommy and Daddy. And there's a pink flamingo chick, ready to ride. Who's this sleepy black-and-white cub? Still wrapped in a blanket, the panda isn't quite awake yet. The train chugs merrily along, picking up baby animal passengers. But beware! There's danger in the pond beside the tracks. Will the seal pup and baby penguin escape from the circling crocodiles?

Will Hillenbrand, illustrator of Counting Crocodiles and The House That Drac Built, has always been curious about what goes on in a zoo before opening hours. Adapting a traditional children's song, Hillenbrand depicts his charming vision, and presents a parallel journey of a school bus approaching the zoo while the train is making its rounds. Children, as diverse as the chicks and cubs and kits, bound out of the bus to seesaw with the elephant and play kickball with the seal. And the napping panda? He's found his match in a blanket-toting boy. "Puff, puff, toot, toot, off we go!" Basic song notation is included in the back for budding musicians. (Ages 4 to 8) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

"This whimsical interpretation of a familiar song offers preschoolers a ticket to ride on an enjoyable excursion through a children's zoo," PW wrote. Each new animal passenger adds to the cumulative refrain, "building up a symphonic chorus that begs for audience participation." Ages 3-7. (Oct.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152167900
• ISBN-13: 978-0152167905
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #59 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Zoos > Fiction

More About the Author

Will Hillenbrand has illustrated many beloved picture books, including "Kiss the Cow by Phyllis Root"; "Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash!" by Barbara Odanka; and "What a Treasure!" by Jane Hillenbrand. He also wrote and illustrated another Christmas story, "Asleep in the Stable". Will enjoys visiting classrooms to talk about the creative process involved in making a picture book. He lives with his wife, Jane, and their son, Ian, in Terrace Park, Ohio.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My son's favorite book!, September 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Down by the Station (Hardcover)

This is by far my 2 year old son's favorite book and he has lots of them. Whenever it's time to read to him he says "toot toot" and I know that means he wants to have this book read to him, sometimes several times in a row. The illustrations are wonderful, and there is all sorts of stuff going on if you look closely. An all around great, fun book, I highly recommend this book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You will LOVE this book!, December 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Down by the Station (Hardcover)

My 3 year old is crazy about this book! The story (tune) is easy for him to sing along with, and the pictures are adorable. They really tell the story. There is so much detail to the pictures that we can spend lots of time on each page - "do you see where the balloon went this time?" "what is the elephant doing now?". I also absolutely love it that there are very diverse children in the book - even a little girl in a wheelchair. This is now one of my regular "gift" books for all new babies, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book to "SING" to your children!, April 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Down by the Station (Hardcover)

My 2 1/2 year old LOVES this book...and so do I! It is so great to curl up with this book and spend some time singing the song (complete with wonderful animal noises) while looking at the cheery illustrations. The loving animal families as well as the children of all colors, shapes and sizes (even one in a wheel chair) lead to fun discussions as we read. My five year old loves it too!