The Yellow Train (Creative Editions) [Hardcover]

Alistair Highet (Author), Francois Roca (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Creative Editions

A young boy takes an adventurous journey with his grandfather on the old train, recalling how it was used to explore and settle the Far West.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

All routes lead to stunning vistas in this rail-riding fantasy originally published in France. "One dark night" a boy joins his conductor grandfather on Grandpa's Yellow Train. As the duo steams across the country, the boy sees the landscape of the past, vast and undevelopedAthe way the land looked before Grandpa and his train helped to settle it. A Yeti helps push the Yellow Train through snowdrifts; the slightly more ominous-looking Snake People, heavily painted men on horseback, give chase. But by story's end, the boy is snug in bed, and awakens clasping the keys to the Yellow Train and remembering the secret midnight ride with his grandfather. Highet recalls similarly themed voyages like Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express and Paul Fleischman's Time Train in this adaptation of a work by Fred Bernard. The text's dreamy tone and stop-and-start pacing pull readers into the unusual, imaginative trip, but a few holes in the plot are sure to provoke questions. Roca's striking, oversize paintings suggest advertising posters of the 1930s and '40s. His dusky palette and dizzying perspectives result in larger-than-life images of mountains, skyscrapers and jungle greenery. Ages 7-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-One night, Theo goes on a mysterious journey, "unsure of where I was going and more unsure of what might happen," and meets up with his grandfather in a train station. The robust gent shows the child the small Yellow Train for which he had been the conductor a "long, long time ago." The two embark on a secret trip, across "rolling plains" and to the "beginning of the world," where a Yeti pushes them out of a snowdrift and Snake People on painted horses chase after them. Theo even gets a chance at the controls. Back at the station, Grandfather explains that, ironically, the men and supplies he once transported had helped to create the puffing factories that eventually outgrew the need for the little engine. He bequeaths the Yellow Train to Theo, who awakens in his bed, clutching the keys. Comparisons to Chris Van Allsburg's The Polar Express (Houghton, 1985) are inevitable. There are the highly textured, atmospheric scenes, rendered on dark paper, featuring sleek '30s trains. However, Van Allsburg's book is more subtle, more tightly constructed, and has seasonal appeal; whereas this one is curiously static. Still, train enthusiasts will enjoy the large, vertical format and the changing perspectives of the iron horse.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Creative Editions (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568461283
• ISBN-13: 978-1568461281
• Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 9.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #416,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Yellow Train, September 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Yellow Train (Creative Editions) (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful book, very reminiscent of Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express, both in tone and in the fabulous illustrations, and yet unique in its content. There are wonderful moments between the grandfather and his grandson. Train and history buffs alike will enjoy this. One note: the publisher says this is for 9-12 year olds. I would go lower. Children as young as five will certainly love hearing this book and my 8-year-old loved reading it himself. Twelve, I think, is stretching it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this book!, May 18, 2011

By 

L. A. Renner - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Yellow Train (Creative Editions) (Hardcover)

We originally read this book at our local library and found the best price on Amazon. My son was so excited to receive it...just as described! Thank you!