Steam Train Ride

by Kimiko Kajikawa (writing as Evelyn Clarke Mott)

Walker Publishing Company, 1991
Ages 3-7
ISBN 0-802-76995-0

BUY THIS BOOK FROM AMAZON

SYNOPSIS

Get ready for the adventure of your life!  Steam train fans, young and old are invited to join Christopher as he spends the day on a real-life steam train.  Meet all of the people who help make Engine 89 run its course: from Red, the engineer, and Bill, the conductor, to all of the passengers who rely on them to make sure they have a speedy and safe journey.  Full-color action photographs take you on a bouncy, rollicking ride that you'll never forget.  All aboard!  For children 3 - 7 years.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

As a toddler, my son, Christopher, had an incredible passion for steam trains.  Christopher's appetite for train books was insatiable, and the book he really wanted — a picture book with photographs of steam trains — didn't exist.  After two years of searching, I decided that I should write and photograph the book Christopher so desperately wanted to read. 

REVIEWS

Steam Train Ride
Booklist

"Train afficionados will delight in this ride on Engine 89. Young Christopher meets Red the engineer at the train yard for a special tour. The boy climbs into the engine cab to see the throttle and the brake, watches Mel the fireman shovel coal into the firebox, and learns how Bill the conductor helps the engine couple onto the passenger cars. Next comes a wonderful ride through the countryside with plenty to see: horses and cows, people and farms. Clear, bright photographs show all of the above, plus signal boxes, warning signs, and train stations. The layout is clean and appealing. Whistling and chugging sound effects are written into the conversation-filled text for extra fun."

Exuberant photos enhance realistic book
Trenton Times

"Published this spring, her exuberant photo essay [Steam Train Ride] captures the sights and sounds of the Strasburg Railroad in nearby Lancaster County... Both the photographs and the text are crisp, clear and appealing, making technical terms and equipment easily accessible to young readers."

Return to Kimiko's Books