The Train of States [Hardcover]

Peter Sis (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2004 | Age Level: 5 and up

The train of states is rolling by --
rush to the window and watch it go!
The very first car? The very first state:
Delaware, of course,
followed by Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia ...
fifty in all.
The caboose? Washington, D.C.!

Look closely! What do you see?
State birds, state flowers, state trees ...
forty-three presidents! Can you find them all?
Can you spot the flags, heroes, animals, and landmarks
adorning the train of states?

Clickety clack, clickety clack.
Rush out the door, rush to the track.
Where is the train going? Come along!
Over the prairie, over the mountains,
down a green valley, and into a billowing tent.
It's time for a party --
it's time to celebrate
the fifty states!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4–Using the motif of a circus train, Sís has designed a different car for each state in the Union and a caboose for Washington, DC. A great deal of research went into this book as evidenced by the many tiny details in each watercolor painting. The cars are lined up chronologically according to their date of statehood and are decorated with the state flag, nickname, motto, bird, tree, and animal as well as important people or sites. Readers who have researched a state and are familiar with its history will appreciate the full-page vignettes, but for those who are not, some of the pictures without labels will have little meaning. These details are explained in a section at the back that also provides the key to the symbols that appear throughout. Students who need to research states for reports should try Benjamin F. and Barbara S. Shearer's State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols (Greenwood, 2001). Sís's engaging title, however, is a browser's ticket for a cross-country journey and a treat for trivia lovers everywhere.–Laurie Edwards, Infinity Charter School, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* K-Gr. 3. Czech-born illustrator Sis celebrates his adopted country with an election-year salute to its 50 states. Inspired by his visit to Wisconsin's Circus World Museum, he presents each state as an elaborately decorated, antique circus wagon, emblazoned with symbolic, often whimsical images that range from state birds to native trees (and sons). Together, the wagons comprise a train of states being pulled, on kaleidoscopic wheels, past a schoolroom of dazzled children. The cars are ordered by the date of the state's admission to the union, leading off with Delaware, "The First State," and concluding with a Washington, D.C., "caboose." In the cab of a red-white-and-blue locomotive are the iconographic figures of Uncle Sam and an American eagle. A banner at the bottom of each page notes the state capital, tree, flower, and bird, along with a "fun fact" (elk, deer, and antelope outnumber humans in Montana). But it's the wagons--with their rococo embellishments and glorious gallimaufry of visual factoids, trivia, hoopla, and American hyperbole--that command attention and invite endless, wondering reexamination. Each look reveals something new, and, as if that were not enough, an appended page of notes offers further information that encourages children to create their own "train of states." Another dazzler from the incomparable Sis. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow; First Edition first Printing edition (September 21, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060578386
• ISBN-13: 978-0060578381
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 10 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,730,953 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All aboard for fun & learning!, September 27, 2004

By 

Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Train of States (Hardcover)

Rebeccasreads highly recommends Peter Sis' THE TRAIN OF STATES as a splendid way to learn not only the names of all our states, also which came first & for what best each is known.

THE TRAIN OF STATES is the kind of book that will be read from generation to generation, teaching math, geography, history, patriotism & the fantastic use of imagination.

Very well done!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars all aboard for learning about the 50 states, November 7, 2004

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Train of States (Hardcover)

All Aboard! Get ready to learn about the 50 States of America. There is a train coming past the school yard. Each train car has a state listed and facts about the state. We see the states pass by in order of the date they came into statehood. We will learn about the state capital, tree, flower, and bird, along with a fun fact.

This book was full of great information of the 50 states. It will be a useful reseacrch tool for stududents who come to the library for information on any or all of the 50 states!

We would recommed this book to others. The book presented useful information in a fun and exciting way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Train of the States, June 13, 2008

By 

Rhonda Hooper (Victoria, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Train of States (Hardcover)

I am a second grade teacher and LOVE to integrate literature into all my curricular areas. This book is GREAT for enriching the teaching of history about our states in Social Studies. One of my second graders brought her own personal copy to school for me to read to my class and I was so impressed with it that I ordered two copies from Amazon! One for my own classroom library and another for my daughter who teaches kindergarten. A great investment for teachers and parents concerned with instilling a love of country and history in young children!
Rhonda Hooper
Victoria, TX