Customer Reviews

The Little Engine That Could (Original Classic Edition)

5 star:		(65)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

My dad was dying and I bought several books to take to him at the hospital. This was one of them. When I flew down to see him, the word was that he still had hope. Within thirty minutes of my arrival, we found it not to be true. I still read him this book, just as he used to read it to me. It was a joke for us during his last days. Even when he had break through pain and I wasn't allowed to give him more medicine, we'd read this and he'd squeeze my hand while he tried to get through just a little more time. Sometimes he told me the story to keep his mind focussed.

Before he died he told me to finish my degree. I told him it would be hard because I have a big family, so much going on-- and he smiled and said, "Let me tell you about a train that couldn't get over a mountain. It had great things on it, toys for the good boys and girls, milk for their dinners. It was hard to get this train loaded with good things over the mountain but there was one little engine. . ." Three months later I am in college and this little engine goes through my mind a lot. The story is one of my children's favorites and they don't know why I can't read it without crying!

This book appeals to everyone for different reasons, but the results are the same. An iron will allows us to overcome any obstacle!

Few books are so gratifying to read to children for the first time. A child does not even need to understand English to "get" it. On first meeting our four-year-old son, who had never heard a world of English until then, I put him on my knee and impersonated each engine character chugging through these pages. He was scared and shy, but he loved the "characters," which I could only differentiate for him by sound, and he especially loved the famous repeating line "I think I can." As my whispers rose to crescendo, he squealed in delight. Nowadays he reads much harder books before going to sleep at night. But he likes every now and then to come back to this one: He well remembers the first moments of bonding with me, and with this book. Alyssa A. Lappen

I wanted to buy this book for my children because it was my favorite as a kid. However, when I read the book I was surprised because it wasn't what I remembered. After doing research on this, I discovered there was another version of this story, "The Pony Engine" by Wonder Books, which I purchased used. This was the version I grew up with. What's the difference? The "Watty Piper" version makes the good engines girls and the bad engines boys and the version I grew up with does not make any [gender] distinction for the engines. If you are looking for the same book you grew up with, you may want to consider which version you want to read to your kids. Which is the true version? That is debated and you can read about it...

Trains, most kids love them and mine is no different. What a great story this is - a true classic and if you don't have it in your library, shame on you! When the little engine gets up the hill, it's just really neat to see the expression on little ones' faces as the engine takes the toys and food to the kids that are in need. Even Dumbo's train says, "I think I can, I think I can..." What a timeless message for everyone and a great way to teach kids the importance of helping one another.

The current self-help genre tends to be dwelling on hurts and self-pity, then finding magical solutions. Our Little Engine just has healthy self-confidence and determination. And please don't stress even that when reading it to the kids who will love it, since they find their own more imaginative interpretations.

The unabridged version is a lifetime favourite of mine, and, for classroom use or that with older children, find a copy at all costs. This version does retain much of the essence, however, and is great for the pre-school set. The only "negative" I can think of is that the kids so love the repetition that parents may grow a bit tired of the daily requests for it to be re-read, especially if the particular child wants to hear only certain sections (I knew one who always wanted "the clown part," the other "the food part.")

The same enjoyable repetition makes this a favourite story to read to children in primary grades. Yes, be sure you don't stop the kids from all joining in "I think I can..."

This remains one book that every favourite kid of mine receives as a present. If it disappoints any of your children, that will be a first, in my experience!

I remember reading this book over and over again as a child and feeling a very powerful truth. This is one of the few books for children that teaches you to unselfishly believe in yourself. The pictures in the older edition are as up to date as the lesson they teach.

If you have a child and you want them to believe in themself, this is a great way to encourage them. Please vote if this did help you.

The engine that could is a good book for children ity helps them know that they can do anything that they want I think that the book is good for a boy or girl it is easy to read there are plenty of pictures for the little kids that like looking at colorful pictures. This book is to help kids to realize that they can do anything as long as they put there mind to it, it will happen. Overall I think that this a really good book for young children.

Hi, My mommy just read me the little engine that could...and just so you know, i am telling her what to type because I cant type yet. It is a very very very very very good book about choochoos. I like that they never gave up. I wish I could have a train like that and we could be friends. I especially liked the drawings inside. ok bye internet people.

Instead of sending the proverbial fruit basket or box of candy this Christmas, we mailed copies of this mini book to our best clients. It is small enough to fit into a standard sized Christmas card envelope, and only cost us a little over a dollar to mail them. We included a sticker on the inside cover with the message, "We hope you are as inspired as we are by this timelss take of determination and willpower overcoming adversity. Never forget that difficult problems can be solved when everyone works together. We may be small, and we may be new, but we think we can pull you over your mountains too! (We guarantee you'll enjoy the ride.)"

We had excellent positive response from that effort -- much more memorable than an edible gift, and something nice that could be displayed on a bookshelf.

This story is about a train that was just a littel train but when a big train broke down that was caringing all the toys to the children broke down he had to go and do it. But everyone said that he was jsut to small but he pressed on and he got all the toys their on time.