Module 2 Freight Train

Bibliography
Crews, D. (1978). Freight Train. New York, N.Y.: Greenwillow Books.

Freight Train names the cars of a train from caboose to engine as it travels through the city, tunnels and trestles. The cars are different colors. As the train moves faster, the colors blur together. This is a great book to help toddlers learn their colors and expand their vocabulary.

Reviews
Jeanenne (BookHive (www.bookhive.org))This colorful book doubles as a lesson about train cars. Readers learn the name of the cars by starting at the end with the red caboose and finishing up with the black steam engine. In between, other cars are named and have their own unique, bold colors. But this isn’t a stationary train, but a moving one, whose form becomes blurry as it increases speed. Children will feel the excitement and energy as the train moves through tunnels, by cities, and over trestles. A great book for learning and fun. Category: Award Books; Classics; Concept. Grade Level: Toddlers; Preschool. 1978, Greenwillow Books. Ages 1 to 5.
Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)New in board book format, Donald Crews' Freight Train tracks a brightly colored train across trestles and through tunnels until it's "going, going...gone". The book's pages hold a certain rhythm and drama, and you can further engage your baby by add the chug-a-chug-a of a moving train as you turn the pages. This is a book with longevity Toddlers will enjoy color naming and preschoolers can view the colors mix due to the train's movements. Now the sturdy cardboard pages will help the book last. 1996, Tupelo, $16.00, $15.93, $18.95, $6.95 and $3.95. Ages 3 mo. to 4.

Verónica Betancourt (Children's Literature)A train makes its journey across the pages of this book, providing young readers the opportunity to learn the names of the cars and to practice counting skills. The text is spare, giving a minimum of description so that the illustrations are responsible for conveying the experience of a train passing by. While spare, the story is simple and poetic in English, however, the Spanish translation loses this poetry. The names of the trains lack the alliteration found in English, and the verbs are not chosen with care to preserve the feeling of locomotion. The careless translation is sometimes incorrect. Crews won the Caldecott for this book and the airbrush illustrations are the strongest element of the story; they remain graphic and exciting and are not overwhelmed by the Spanish text added to this bilingual edition. This book is perfect for teaching about transportation, or for learning colors, but it is better in English and lackluster in Spanish. 2003 (orig. 1978), Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins Publishers Inc, $15.99. Ages 3 to 6.
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