The Goodnight Train (Goodnight Train)

The cheerful and rhyming text paired with the frothy art creates an enchanting trip to dreamland.

PreS-K  This bedtime story is likely to strike a chord with young listeners. A gentle, rhyming text intersperses train noises with a getting-ready-for-bed routine with a railroad-inspired theme. Brightly colored cartoon illustrations picture children in their beds being pulled along by the engine. They ride through tunnels, over bridges, and past fields of sheep. The words flow fairly well, with only a few minor skips, and the sounds mixed with bedtime sounds (Rock-a, rock-a, rock-a, rock-aShhhhhhhhhhh! Shhhhhhhhhhh!) will delight youngsters and have them chiming in. The acrylic-and-collage artwork curves around the spreads and encourages page turns. Clever backgrounds, including a sign that declares, Dreamland 20 winks ahead, ensure that there is plenty to look at, and the journey ends effectively with the children asleep and the words, Good night, train./Good night. Libraries in need of more train or bedtime books will find this a useful and enjoyable addition. - Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.