The Goodnight Train Easter
(Goodnight Train)

PreS--Join this joy-filled train ride adventure with children and animals, including a hen in a bubble bath, announcing that the Easter Bunny is coming soon. Readers are invited to climb aboard with their teddy and get Easter baskets ready. Illustrations are magical and sweet, and they include a frog sitting on a bright pink mushroom playing a banjo, a sheep dressed up in a top hat and button-down vest, and bumblebees and a caterpillar peacefully sleeping on flower petals. Of course, there are also bunnies. The text is lively: "Cottontail Crossing! Our next stop. Bouncing bunnies. Hop! Hop! Hop! Eggs crack open here and there. Baby chicks are everywhere!" In addition to all kinds of bunnies outside the tree home of E. Bunny, chicks dot the lawn, some hatching from colorful Easter eggs. Children will enjoy repeating phrases throughout, such as "Chugga! Chugga! Quack! Quack," and "Clickety-clack! Clickety-clack! Peep! Peep!" at Cottontail Crossing. Many illustrations are done in Easter colors, including pink, purple, and green. This delightful title is a home run on illustrations and text. VERDICT Highly recommend as a fun, light Easter gem. This book introduces children to some key holiday concepts, including eggs, rabbits, ducks, and jellybeans. It will likely engage both young readers and their adults.--Robin Sofge