Nonfiction: Eyewitness Books: TRAIN

     Who doesn't get enthralled at the sight of a train, rumbling and screeching down the tracks?  Who among you doesn't get over-the-moon excited when, as you're rushing off (late, AGAIN) to an important meeting you get stopped for ten minutes at the railroad crossing?  Okay, probably not most of you.  But if you are a train enthusiast, your answer might be different.  When a tiny train enthusiast lives in your house, you might change your tune a bit.  Any parent knows that when a toddler or young child becomes interested in a subject, they tend to be...fixated.  Really, REALLY fixated.  And then you're stuck with the challenge of finding materials to assuage the hunger for more information, more pictures, more shows, more conversations about said subject.
     Which brings me to this book: Eyewitness Books: Train.  Eyewitness Books are numerous (there are nearly 200 volumes currently in print) and address more topics than I can name.  They are available at book stores, libraries, and home book collections, just to name a few.  They almost act as volumes of an encyclopedia, with each volume on a different subject.  Unlike an encyclopedia, they do have individual authors; Train is written by John Coiley.  I was disappointed to find NOTHING about this author.  Though the information is exciting and, from what I could tell, accurate, I dislike not being able to find any credentials for the author.  The book still has credence, mainly from its association with the Eyewitness series.
     This book does not mess around about getting down to business.  There is a table of contents, and even that spread has pictures and explanations of each object.  It opens by defining what a train is, and then lays out historical information about trains.  The topics then narrow to specific types of trains and items associated with them, such as postal cars and signal boxes.  The book is loaded with high-quality photographs and images that bring the book alive.  There is a small paragraph on each page to anchor the topic, but the rest of each double-page spread is devoted to images and detailed explanations.  The type is small, which allows for more information.
     The unique thing about Trains and other Eyewitness books is the appeal to all age groups.  They are placed in the children's section of nonfiction picturebooks at bookstores and libraries, but they are also useful to any age looking for information on trains.  We supply Eyewitness books even at the high school library level.  The pictures appeal to young children, and as they gain the ability to read, the information becomes more pertinent.  The information is not "dumbed-down" for young readers, though, so it really is the older student who will get more out of the text.
     The very end of the book includes a spread on Great Train Journeys, a Train Timeline, and a Find Out More page.  On Find Out More, readers have access to useful websites, information on trains in the movies (such as the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter), and even places to visit that will appeal to the train lover.  Overall, Eyewitness has books for everyone and every interest, of all ages, which for me was the most surprising discovery of all.
     I would use this book for all ages!  For young children, I would place this book in the nonfiction section, or display it with other books on trains, both fiction and nonfiction.  For older children/young adults I would place it in nonfiction or set up a section of all of the Eyewitness Books I had in my library on top of a lower set of shelving for easy access.  With adults, I would disperse them according to topic on the shelves.  We have a model train club in my town, so another way to get train enthusiasts reading the books on trains, I would invited the train club to set up their model trains in a section of the library for a day, and then display train books of all ages, allow the club to hand out informational material about their club, and provide snacks to patrons.  I think this sort of event would be most popular with families.
     One awesome read-alike that I'm in love with right now: Trains: Steaming! Pulling! Huffing! by Patricia Hubbell and illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy.  Usually I just mention the author, but the illustrators (who use collage) are beyond awesome in this book and also Trucks! by the same author.

Eyewitness Books: Train
John Coiley
DK Publishing
Copyright 2009
ISBN 978-0-7566-5032-2

Video Review: Dinosaur Train

     Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, discovers himself in a nest of Pteranodons, who adopt him as their own.  Along with his parents, Buddy and his Pteranodon brothers and sister Shiny, Tiny and Don make discoveries about other Dinosaurs in the Cretaceous time period as well as learn social and learning skills. The young dinosaurs work together, come up with hypotheses, and test them to find out information about the dinosaurs they are visiting via the Dinosaur Train.

     This show, created by Craig Bartlett, is the second created by the Jim Henson Company using CGI technology.  The animation is simple but not cheesy, and the characters are detailed enough to be believable.  The movements of the characters are natural and fluid, though shapes and colors stay fairly basic, bright, and flat.  The show is available on PBS Kids.

     In addition to being entertaining for young children (ages 3-6), the show boasts a resident paleontologist, who gives details and clarifies fact and supposition about each dinosaur on each episode.  he discusses the relationships between dinosaurs and animals alive currently, and describes their similarities.  Dr. Scott Sampson has a PhD in Paleontology from University of Toronto.

     The unique combination of dinosaurs and trains is a winner.  Young children have often had an obsession with one or the other, if not both, and so the show appeals to a wider audience.  Though the train takes somewhat of a backstage to the dinosaur discoveries, The Conductor is an important character, and injects the railroading spirit into the show.  In one episode, Buddy and Tiny work through three clues in order to be Junior Conductors.   On another episode, an obstruction had to be removed from the track for safe traveling.  On each episode, the Conductor announces entrance into the Time Tunnel ("Time Tunnel!  Time Tunnel approaching!"), and walks up and down the rows, asking for "tickets, please!" 

     I recommend this show for parents who are really REALLY tired of watching Thomas and Friends for the hundredth time, as well as for parents who want to nurture their offspring's obsession with dinosaurs.  Children can legitimately learn facts and information from the show along with learning and reinforcing behavioral norms.  Teachers of young children could easily use clips of the videos as reinforcement in a unit on dinosaurs, though even grade-schoolers would find it below them intellectually.
     Though I haven't discovered a show yet that has the merits or production quality of Dinosaur Train, other viewing options include Chuggington and Friends for train enthusiasts, and Dino Dan (available on Nick Jr. and Amazon on Demand) for dinosaur nuts.

Dinosaur Train
By Craig Bartlett
Jim Henson Co.
PBSKids
Copyright 2009