Here Comes the Train [Hardcover]

Charlotte Voake (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Every Saturday, Chloe, her little brother William, and their father bicycle to a footbridge over the railroad tracks and wait for the trains to come thundering under them.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A far-off sound, clanging bells, flashing signal lights, and rib-resonating warning whistles can only mean one thing. A train is coming! In Here Comes the Train, Charlotte Voake--creator of the award-winning Ginger--brilliantly captures that delicious suspense in whimsical, color-splashed line drawings and enthusiastic text: "Louder and louder, nearer and nearer it comes! Sparks shoot out from its wheels! All the children wave like crazy. The engine driver waves back; he hoots his horn, Beep-BARP! The children hold their breath and... WHOOSH under the bridge it goes!" This charming, simple book about a family's trip to the local train tracks cheerily chugs to its final destination as young William whispers, "Here comes the train!" over and over to himself before he falls fast asleep. (Click here to see a sample spread from the book! Copyright © 1998 Charlotte Voake) (Great read-aloud, ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

The reassurance and serenity that emanate from Voake's (Ginger) airy, squiggly but somehow poised watercolor-and-ink drawings prove a perfect foil for this subject: the thrill of a train's passing as it utterly, deliciously shatters the calm, and the afterglow when calm is restored. Riding their bicycles, Chloe, William and their dad pause atop the footbridge over the railroad tracks in the middle of the woods. The excitement builds as more and more people gather and the far-off train draws close: "Louder and louder, nearer and nearer it comes! Sparks shoot out from its wheels!" When the train finally does pass underneath with a thunderous "whoosh," Voake suddenly breaks from her wide-angle framing, catching both the surge of the machine below and the collection of feet huddled together above. The text is spot-on in capturing the mood of a largely young crowd in the face of technological bravado: "Chloe SCREAMS because she thinks [the bridge] will fall down. All the other children scream because they like screaming!" Voake never reveals any more about the characters than their love of noisy trains. But she doesn't need to: this is all about the sheer, giddy joy of the moment, communicated here in phrases and art that even the youngest readers will respond to. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First Edition edition (September 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763604380
• ISBN-13: 978-0763604387
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,342 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation > Trains

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for 2-4 year-olds!, June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Here Comes the Train (Hardcover)

From the day we first read this to our 2-1/2 year-old, he could not get enough of it. It's an easy read, he loves the characters and the story line, and he talks about it incessantly. I think the beauty of the book is that kids can identify with it because it is based on actual experiences - the excitement of an oncoming train, biking with mom or dad, anticipating arrival of something exciting, and dreaming about it in bed later. This is a must for any kids book collection.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, July 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Here Comes the Train (Hardcover)

I checked this book out at the library and both of my children love it! They are four and two. My two year old, when it is time to read books before bed, says, "Here comes train?"

Excellent read-aloud with plenty of opportunity for motions, volume changes, etc. It starts out so quiet, builds to a fevered pitch, then ends with the little boy going to sleep.

I'll be buying this one!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter loves this book!, August 24, 2004

By 

V. Davis (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Here Comes the Train (Paperback)

This is one of those great books that is a simple story that small children can relate to, with things they recognize from their life. We also checked it out from the library and will be buying it. My daughter is 21 months and can't get enough of "Train Book!"