The Train Home

Nari's city household can be a challenging place: "Nari's parents bicker,/ her grandparents chatter,/ and her little sister whines." Readers see East Asian-presenting Nari gazing out her window at an elevated train. Maybe the train can carry her to a quieter place? As the cars rumble past, she boards one, then steps out its doors into a bower overgrown with twining blooms, moths, and other wildlife. In these woods, a child-size nest offers a place to "sleep and dream in the treetops." The next stops see the child visiting a coral reef, a houseboat, a library--scenes portrayed in muted blues, greens, and golds, that, despite their activity, carry a sense of solitary quiet. The subway's chrome siding and vintage signage offer piquant contrast to the lush natural surrounds. When the train carries Nari far into outer space, where "everything is beautiful," she wishes her family were there, and it's not long before she is ready to be back among them. Kim (The Grandmaster's Daughter) affirms the push and pull of life for a city child who loves her family and finds needed sanctuary in the quiet of her own company. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

Nari lives in an apartment that's too full and in a city that's too loud. Watching the train rumble by her window, she dreams of taking it someplace quiet just for her: a treetop nest, under the sea, or outer space. But in each place she imagines, she also thinks of which family member would like to see it with her. Nari starts to miss the noise of her family amid the quiet and decides to take the train back home. Even in Nari's quiet times, Kim's illustrations are a riot of color and delicate details; young readers will love to explore the different worlds Nari visits in her imagination. The language is poetic: "Nari's parents bicker, her grandparents chatter, and her little sister whines. Their apartment grumbles with neighbors left and right, above and below." The overall effect is a comforting dream-like world. Nari is East Asian with pale skin and a long, black braid. VERDICT This quiet ode to imagination, the need for quiet, and the reassurance that one can always come back home should be a first purchase for most collections.—Jennifer Rothschild