Customer Reviews

Jingle the Brass

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book cries out to be read out loud. A very fun, entertaining read. My only regret is that my children are too old to ask me to read it to them time and time again--I no longer have a convenient excuse. Highly recommended for readers of all ages -- and for parents who miss reading out loud to their children. Do it anyway--they'll thank you for it!

My three yr old son and I picked up this book thinking it was just a fun ride with lots of pictures of trains. We started reading and it soon became apparent that this is like a nonfiction book on trains and a historical documentation of oldrailroading slang, not just a simple picturebook adventure.

Every phrase is an unexpected text treat: "Put on the nosebag" (have something to eat) " wreck on the main line" (scrambled eggs) "spoon-feed black diamonds" (shovel coal into the engine) "cornfield meet" (head-on train wreck) All this is the dialogue of the main character, a railroad man who is giving a tour to a young boy having a short train ride, dialogue that gives him character like no descriptive adjectives could do!

We are also treated to detailed overviews of the railyard, all very accurate with labels integrated into the illustrations: "spur track" "round house", and a two page rundown of the different railcars and their cargo. We have a multitude of books on trains, and I think I learned more from this rolicking little tale!

The watercolors are lively and expressive. Very clean and gestural and accurately portray the speed of the train (and the lack of it as it sits on a sidetrack waiting for a passenger car to go by... the opposite of how things work here on Canadian railways!)

Historically it has a few fascinating features such as a two page spread about hoboes taking a free ride on the train. There is so much detail we can see where the hoboes live, the ones climbing the hil to meet the train, two or three in various stages of boarding, several on the train, and parallel "railroad bulls" (train cops) hiding in a freight car, sneaking up on them, booting them off, and we see them landing in the water over a bridge and bing saved by someone in a boat. So much for a small boy to take in, both in actions and culturally.

And when the passenger train speeds by, we are treated to four sepia inserts showing a period girl in the dining car, sleeper, coach and debarking from the train.

Highly highly recommended. You will not grow out of this in one reading.

A definite must for your home library! Kids love the detailed watercolors and the almost-musical text. Who knew railroading slang was so fun? Pretty soon your kids will be asking for their milk as "whitewash" and telling your their "trick is up" at bedtime. Train enthusiast of all ages will enjoy this trip down the main line.

There are lots of kids books out there, but this one is one to keep in the family forever. Michael Chesworth's illustrations and Patricia Newman's story brings this era to life. My 2 1/2 year-old son is in love with his book. I highly recommend this book for any boy interested in trains.

My son loves anything about trains. This book is fun to read to children, with some slang train lingo. He requested this book every night for months!

My 4-year-old loves this! He has been through every train book at the library, and I am always on the lookout for a new "angle". Well, this had it!! Much of the lingo was new to him, so he learned a lot. The pictures are both fun and informative. We love this book!

This delightful picture book will thrill young boys and girls alike as they race down the tracks with an ole hogger on engine 417! They'll meet colorful characters along the way, from Ole Joe, the ashcat, to Mabel, the merry-go-round operator, as the illustrations perfectly capture the lingo of this fast-paced E ticket ride. Kids will absolutely love it!

CAN YOU HEAR THE WHISTLE BLOWING? . . .ummm, yes, you sure can! It's coming down the track, coming down the track, coming down the track!

Patricia Newman delivers a zesty read about the world of trains. Told from the point of the engineer, you will learn train terms, facts, and just a fresh appreciation for the chugging world of transportation.

Perfect resource for a transportation unit in the classroom.

I also love the title. . .and I LOVE THIS BOOK!

This book is sure to become a favorite of railroad buffs of all ages. Newman interviewed a former "hogger" and staff of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento to lend authenticity to her book. Told in entertaining railroad jargon, the story follows a boy and the boss hogger on an exciting trip back in time to 1926, the heyday of steam locomotion. The book clamors to be read aloud with a little one in your lap to point out the exciting details in the superb artwork. Feel the wind in your hair as you jingle the brass!

Connie Goldsmith, Children's Book Reviewer for
"California Kids," Sacramento, CA

This beautifully illustrated book about the glorious days of steam railroading is one which all proud grandparents will enjoybuying for and sharing with their grandchildren. Grandfathers especially will enjoy the old railroad lingo and the opportunity of sharing what it was like long ago. It isn't only granmothers who read to the children!