Train Books I Love (And Kids Do Too)

Do you know this book? My son loves it. Like serious love. So I brought it into a second grade workshop and they loved it too. In fact, this week Duck vs. Gum and Penguin vs. Airplane have emerged in the classroom.  There are a million teaching points in this book, but one we highlighted was the way the book began with something realistic (two boys playing with toys) and then moved into fantasy. We also used it to teach a circular ending. Check out these pages from the beginning and end of the book. (However, Sam thinks you are missing the best part when Shark and Train attempt to sell lemonade.) I picked up my copy via a Scholastic Book Order and I’ve also seen it at the Scholastic Book Fair our school hosts.

Used with Permission from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Art work by Tom Lichtenheld; words by Chris Barton.

And while we’re on train books, check out this one…

It too has a circular ending, beginning and ending in a young boy’s bedroom. The rest of the book is a dream of being on the Rain Train. The cadence of the words coupled with the illustrations make this book magical. It is a great book to teach onomatopoeia as well as how to move between reality and imagination within a story.

THE RAIN TRAIN. THE RAIN TRAIN. Text copyright (c) 2011 by Elena DeRoo. Illustrations copyright (c) 2011 by Brian Levelock. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA.

If you want to buy them online, here are some links to Amazon: Shark Vs. Train and The Rain Train