Customer Reviews

Shortcut

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Young children may already be familiar with Donald Crews' _Freight Train_. That book introduced them to their colors and each car in the train.

This book is an actual story where real characters have a brush with a freight train. It's a good follow-on to Freight Train because it introduces the concept of trains being dangerous. Shortcut begins with seven (older) children playing far from home, who decide to take a shortcut along the train tracks. As they continue on their walk, the colors hint that danger is coming as the overall tints get darker. Sure enough, a freight train does pull up, and the children must scramble away to safety. Readers of Freight Train will recognize Crews' marvelous engine and car renderings even in silhouette.

This is a also a great book to use for discussion after reading together. Did the children make a wise decision to take the shortcut? Should they have listened to their mother? What do you think they decided to do after the train incident? Crews' book teachers safety without preaching, and also hints at the beginnings of independence away from parents.

Note: this book has the same children as Crews' book "Bigmamma." While "Bigmamma" is not a train book, if your child wants to know more about the characters, this might be your next stop.

I enjoy reading this book because it was interesting how the kids wanted to take the shortcut home, even toght ther knew it was not safe. The story reminded me of how sometimes when im doing homework i wanted to get it done even toght i knoe sometimes its not ryte. I learn from this book that trying your best on everything u do is the right way to do something.

This is an excellent book. I am an artist, so I especially appreciated the illustrations, which are beautiful as well as exciting to look at! The illustrations and story combine to make it seem like a real-time adventure, as though you are really there with the children. My four-year-old loves this book. We have had many interesting conversations about the reactions of the children to their adventure, and why they did the things they did. For example, why were the children scared? What did they do when they were afraid? Should they have listened to their Mama? Etc. We were first introduced to it by checking it out at our library, and now I am going to purchase it for us. You will enjoy this book alot.

This is a great book. It is by far my sons favorite book and he has practically got it memorized by now! I started reading it to him when he was less than one year old and he could enjoy the over-large pictures and special sound effects if nothing else. One time when he was in his twos I accidentally stopped in the middle of a sentence to sneeze or something and I was astounded to hear him finish the sentence for me! I tested him and discovered that he knew the last word of just about every phrase and sentence. Since then it's been a game with us where I start the sentence and he finishes it. Donald Crews has a prose style that is well adapted to this kind of memory game, it is rhythmic, somewhat repetitive and driving - like the train itself. We are fortunate to live in Japan where a busy train track runs near our house. Thus he has developed a love of trains from birth and the book and real life can interact and reinforce each other. I feel sorry for kids who can't experience trains in their daily life, but this book goes a long ways towards filling the gap. My hats off -- and my warmest thanks go -- to Donald Crews for a wonderful experience.

The cover largely sums this book up. A group of kids, coming home at night, think they'll take the shortcut home. You know - the shortcut? Over the train tracks? Sure, they're not supposed to, but nobody will ever know, right? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?

This is apparently based upon an actual incident from Mr. Crews' life. I can believe it - the kids in the book laugh and giggle and joke and do just about everything *but* concentrate on getting home safe and sound. (That's how they ended up so late they decided to take a shortcut in the first place, I suppose.) And they got a valuable lesson - lucky nobody ended up hurt!

This story might be a bit scary for some younger children. Consider your kid before you read it. (For that matter, it might be scary for some adults!) But if your kid will read it, it's a very exciting story with a clear and obvious moral - sometimes, there's REALLY a good reason you're not supposed to do something, so don't be stupid.

I enjoy reading this book because it was interesting how the kids wanted to take the shortcut home, even toght ther knew it was not safe. The story reminded me of how sometimes when im doing homework i wanted to get it done even toght i knoe sometimes its not ryte. I learn from this book that trying your best on everything u do is the right way to do something.

I enjoy reading this book because it was interesting how the kids wanted to take the shortcut home, even toght ther knew it was not safe. The story reminded me of how sometimes when im doing homework i wanted to get it done even toght i knoe sometimes its not ryte. I learn from this book that trying your best on everything u do is the right way to do something.

The thing I like about it is that it tells people not to use short cut to go somewhere.It helps me by saying that if we use shortcut we can get lost and if we got in danger no one will come to help thats why I like this book.
I don't like it because in pictures they didn't show all the details and they did not took good example of pictures to explain the story.

This book tells the tale of some kids, who feeling wise to the ways of the world, decide to take a short-cut back home from school. But the route taken requires crossing railroad tracks, and just as they arrive... RUMBLE, RUMBLE, CLACKITY CLACK! A close call as they dive for safety -- and then witness the determined power of a fast-moving line of freight cars. This was very similar to a childhood memory of my own, and the illustrations had a way of bringing back some of those tense, sweaty moments!

I loved reading this book to my son. The story line, drama and noise effects would be EXCELLENT for any student to present in a Speech Competition.