Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
HarperCollins (2001), Edition: 1st, 32 pages
Description
Two little trains, one streamlined, the other old-fashioned, puff, puff, puff, and chug, chug, chug, on their way West.
User reviews
LibraryThing member humouress
My 4 year old picked this up from the library. I thought it might be too old fashioned for him, but (though he's into super-heroes like his big brother, he hasn't learned yet what is accepted as cool, and what's uncool!) he loved it and asked for it to be read over and over again. Of course, it
It's a short, simple book (by the author of [Goodnight Moon], which we own) about (you guessed it!) two trains. One is a not-so-little Art Deco-style liner waiting patiently at the terminal, and the other is a little wooden, boxed train, sitting on a suitcase on the platform; this is the story of their journeys to the west.
I think what caught his attention were the simple, repetitive lines, the almost-rhyme, and the clacketty-clack rhythm that Wise Brown has captured. Each page has a full page illustration of the 'real' train as the story follows it on its journey from the terminal (presumably on the east coast of the USA) to the sunny, palm tree-lined beaches of the west coast. Each facing page has a full page illustration of the toy train as it mimics the same journey in its bed-time routine.
I liked the way that the toy train did everything that the real train did; when the big train went through a tunnel through a hill, the little train went through a tunnel created from a book titled "Hills", for instance. Or the big train climbed a mountain while the little train rode up the bannister. I think my son's favourite was when the big train crossed a deep river while the toy train travelled around the bath.
I'm rating it for it's age range : simple but captivating classic.
ETA : I notice from other reviews that the original version of this book was about two 'real' trains, one a fast, new train and the other a slow, old train.
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doesn't hurt that he loves playing with trains.It's a short, simple book (by the author of [Goodnight Moon], which we own) about (you guessed it!) two trains. One is a not-so-little Art Deco-style liner waiting patiently at the terminal, and the other is a little wooden, boxed train, sitting on a suitcase on the platform; this is the story of their journeys to the west.
I think what caught his attention were the simple, repetitive lines, the almost-rhyme, and the clacketty-clack rhythm that Wise Brown has captured. Each page has a full page illustration of the 'real' train as the story follows it on its journey from the terminal (presumably on the east coast of the USA) to the sunny, palm tree-lined beaches of the west coast. Each facing page has a full page illustration of the toy train as it mimics the same journey in its bed-time routine.
I liked the way that the toy train did everything that the real train did; when the big train went through a tunnel through a hill, the little train went through a tunnel created from a book titled "Hills", for instance. Or the big train climbed a mountain while the little train rode up the bannister. I think my son's favourite was when the big train crossed a deep river while the toy train travelled around the bath.
I'm rating it for it's age range : simple but captivating classic.
ETA : I notice from other reviews that the original version of this book was about two 'real' trains, one a fast, new train and the other a slow, old train.
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LibraryThing member paroof
Of course anything by Margaret Wise Brown is wonderful, but train lovers will especially appreciate this book. The big stream lined train and the little toy wooden train are both heading west on a trip to the ocean. Lovely illustrations.
LibraryThing member raizel
Parallel pages show a real train and a toy train traveling through a mountain tunnel / under an book, over a bridge / along the edge of a bathtub, etc. Nicely done.
LibraryThing member TaraThompson
Really creative, kids will love
how the little train does everything
the big train does. Only in the
little boys home. This book can
even teach geography. (6+)
how the little train does everything
the big train does. Only in the
little boys home. This book can
even teach geography. (6+)
LibraryThing member DaisyWoods
This story is about two trains, one being real and one a toy wooden train, both heading west. They are traveling through hills, across bridges, rain, snow, moonlight, dusty sand, mountains and finally reach the ocean. The real train and scenery is mirrored by the toy train pretending to travel west
I liked the book, I think my preschool son would enjoy it because it is about trains. It encourages pretend play, and that imagination can take your train throughout nature inside of your own home. The illustrations were pretty, they have an art deco influence.
In the classroom, I would introduce this maybe when we are learning about trains and traveling. I also would make a chart and ask the children to list the different things you can use in your home to make nature and use it in pretend play.
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throughout a home with books, a bathtub and other things imitating the scenery the train is traveling through.I liked the book, I think my preschool son would enjoy it because it is about trains. It encourages pretend play, and that imagination can take your train throughout nature inside of your own home. The illustrations were pretty, they have an art deco influence.
In the classroom, I would introduce this maybe when we are learning about trains and traveling. I also would make a chart and ask the children to list the different things you can use in your home to make nature and use it in pretend play.
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LibraryThing member mmjones3
Two different trains heading west. One is a shiny, fast train and the other is and old, block play train. They both are going through similar obstacles and through places. One experiences different things during the trip across the country, while the block train experiences similar things
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throughout the house. Show Less
LibraryThing member msshank
I would recommend Two Little Trains for younger classes. It seems too childish for older groups. It is basically about two trains, one older, and one a littler newer, traveling west. It describes the conditions the trains go through until they reach they west.
LibraryThing member conuly
This is a re-illustrated version of a largely forgotten Margaret Wise Brown book. If you google you can find one or two of the original images floating around, if you're curious.
In THIS version, the second little train (as you can see on the cover) is a toy train. The writing is simply repetitive,
Two things bugged me, one very minor and one a little more seriously.
Firstly, although the trains are going "to the west", if you were to look at a map, with North at the top (as is typical), west is to the left... not the right. Never Eat Shredded Wheat, as I taught my nieces, and the compass rose says "WE". Not, heaven forbid, "EW!" So I keep looking at the pictures thinking "But... surely that's EAST!"
I'm aware that this is a stupid thing to complain about, I know it's silly, and I haven't taken off any stars for it or anything. It just bugged me and I had to let it out. Please forgive me :)
The other, slightly more serious bit, is in this line: "The moon shone down on a gleaming track / And the two little trains going West; / And they hurried along and heard the song / Of a black man singing in the West."
The illustration is of the toy train resting by a radio, and opposite it is an image of the (black) man in the moon singing.
Now, you see the bit of the problem? Nowadays it's a bit... awkward to just randomly mention somebody's race unless it's, well, necessary. "Which one of those guys in the picture is Bob, your boyfriend?" "Oh... well, the black one, everybody else is white." It's just kinda weird... it's not like I'd randomly say "The red-haired man singing" or anything like that.
As it happens, I have a few different thoughts about this, and they don't all agree.
1. The text of this book was written in a different era. While I normally find the argument "We can't judge books by our modern standards" to be tiresome (unless you have a time machine, you're not giving the book to a child 50 years ago, so why is it wrong to take modern standards and sensibilities into account when purchasing?), but the text and (modern) illustration here aren't especially offensive. They mention the man's race, they don't demonize or mock it in any way.
2. I'm very interested in the research which says that children pick up racist attitudes more quickly if we do NOT talk about it.
Apparently, since children aren't actually stupid, when they see that other people have skin a different color than their own, they wonder about it. But when their questions are met with embarrassment and attempts to quiet them, and when no explanation is ever given, they come to their own conclusions about skin color... often conclusions we'd rather they hadn't reached. We try not to talk about race in order to be polite, but instead we may send the message that there's something shameful or wrong about being not-like-us... especially if we have few friends outside our own ethnic group. There have actually been a few compelling studies among this line suggesting that the best thing to do IS to talk about race, but in a matter-of-fact way that's not, well, racist.
Which doesn't mean going around pointing to people and going "Look! She's BLACK! Wow!", but it does mean that maybe skipping over that one word and hoping your kid doesn't learn to read quicker than they can ask you why you skip that one word is the best bet.
3. On the third hand... it's just kinda weird to mention randomly that somebody is black! Perhaps in the context it was understood that he was singing a type of music that was primarily part of black culture? I don't know.
So, as you see, I'm mostly on the side of "In this particular instance, it's no big deal", but I appreciate that some people will have reservations about it, and I understand that.
In THIS version, the second little train (as you can see on the cover) is a toy train. The writing is simply repetitive,
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just right for little children, and the connection between what the real train is doing and what the toy train is doing is sweet and imaginative.Two things bugged me, one very minor and one a little more seriously.
Firstly, although the trains are going "to the west", if you were to look at a map, with North at the top (as is typical), west is to the left... not the right. Never Eat Shredded Wheat, as I taught my nieces, and the compass rose says "WE". Not, heaven forbid, "EW!" So I keep looking at the pictures thinking "But... surely that's EAST!"
I'm aware that this is a stupid thing to complain about, I know it's silly, and I haven't taken off any stars for it or anything. It just bugged me and I had to let it out. Please forgive me :)
The other, slightly more serious bit, is in this line: "The moon shone down on a gleaming track / And the two little trains going West; / And they hurried along and heard the song / Of a black man singing in the West."
The illustration is of the toy train resting by a radio, and opposite it is an image of the (black) man in the moon singing.
Now, you see the bit of the problem? Nowadays it's a bit... awkward to just randomly mention somebody's race unless it's, well, necessary. "Which one of those guys in the picture is Bob, your boyfriend?" "Oh... well, the black one, everybody else is white." It's just kinda weird... it's not like I'd randomly say "The red-haired man singing" or anything like that.
As it happens, I have a few different thoughts about this, and they don't all agree.
1. The text of this book was written in a different era. While I normally find the argument "We can't judge books by our modern standards" to be tiresome (unless you have a time machine, you're not giving the book to a child 50 years ago, so why is it wrong to take modern standards and sensibilities into account when purchasing?), but the text and (modern) illustration here aren't especially offensive. They mention the man's race, they don't demonize or mock it in any way.
2. I'm very interested in the research which says that children pick up racist attitudes more quickly if we do NOT talk about it.
Apparently, since children aren't actually stupid, when they see that other people have skin a different color than their own, they wonder about it. But when their questions are met with embarrassment and attempts to quiet them, and when no explanation is ever given, they come to their own conclusions about skin color... often conclusions we'd rather they hadn't reached. We try not to talk about race in order to be polite, but instead we may send the message that there's something shameful or wrong about being not-like-us... especially if we have few friends outside our own ethnic group. There have actually been a few compelling studies among this line suggesting that the best thing to do IS to talk about race, but in a matter-of-fact way that's not, well, racist.
Which doesn't mean going around pointing to people and going "Look! She's BLACK! Wow!", but it does mean that maybe skipping over that one word and hoping your kid doesn't learn to read quicker than they can ask you why you skip that one word is the best bet.
3. On the third hand... it's just kinda weird to mention randomly that somebody is black! Perhaps in the context it was understood that he was singing a type of music that was primarily part of black culture? I don't know.
So, as you see, I'm mostly on the side of "In this particular instance, it's no big deal", but I appreciate that some people will have reservations about it, and I understand that.
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LibraryThing member ecugary
This is a story of two trains, a new, fast train and an older, slow train. The book concentrates on the fact that both are trains and have more in common that one would think. Both trains are traveling west and eventually arrive at their destination.
The illustrations are wonderfully crafted. The
The illustrations are wonderfully crafted. The
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colors of the trains are wonderful with the differences between the new and old trains being depicted by using lighter and darker colors. The illustrations will attract all young readers, whom almost always love trains, to read the book over and over again. Show Less
LibraryThing member jbarr5
Two Little Trains BY Margaret Wise Brown
Starts with about the author and her works and why she wrote them.
Listened to this story but I can imagine all the colorful pictures making the pages move.
Story of two train one is heading west. Tells about the trains and the differences.
Talks about what they
Many other things they had to cross.
Love how one of the trains is a play train in a tub where the child has used a lot of his toys and furniture in his house where the other train was on the same track.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
Starts with about the author and her works and why she wrote them.
Listened to this story but I can imagine all the colorful pictures making the pages move.
Story of two train one is heading west. Tells about the trains and the differences.
Talks about what they
Show More
do at the mountain and have to climb it and go through the mountain.Many other things they had to cross.
Love how one of the trains is a play train in a tub where the child has used a lot of his toys and furniture in his house where the other train was on the same track.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1949
2001 Reissue
Physical description
11 x 8.5 inches
ISBN
0060283769 / 9780060283766