And the Train Goes... by William Bee, William Bee (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Climb aboard for a quirky look at life on a train, chock-full of sound words and sly surprises.

CHUFF-CHUFF, CHUFFERTY-CHUFF...PUFF-PUFF, PUFFERTY-PUFF...

Here’s one train you don’t want to miss! From the stout stationmaster to the chickens a-laying, from a traveling teapot to a chaotic class trip, the clever visual details aboard every teeming car will have readers riding this train again and again. Woo-wooooo!

Children's Literature

Our trip begins at the station, "all noisy and full." The clock ticks, the station master urges all aboard, the whistle blows, the fireman shovels coal, and we feel the pace quicken as the train chuffs and puffs. The track goes from page to page across the bottom. Each double page introduces another group of passengers on their way somewhere, vocalizing their concerns as the train goes "clickerty-click, clickerty-clack." The repeated sounds throughout make this an amusing read-aloud. The train station, however, is quiet and empty now, except for the station parrot, whose shouts fill a page with comments, some repeats of those of others, and some distinctly his own. There is no "story" here as such, only the chance to depict a wide variety of passengers and an equal number of ornate train coaches. Pen-and-ink lines depict the passengers in great detail, along with the rail carriages and the station. A computer is used to supply the flat areas of color introduced at the beginning on the rather comic characters. The most inventive coach is the coal car, with its ingenious conveyor belt delivery system. A trip back to the old days of rail travel.

Linda M. KentonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information. - School Library Journal

PreS-K
Filled with sound effects galore, this rollicking read-aloud is perfect for transportation storytimes. The text moves along with a steady rhythm, describing the passengers who occupy the various cars of a colorful train ("Here is the school class off on a trip, and the children yell, Please, sir, please, ma'am...are we there yet?'") followed by a refrain ("and the train goes, Clickerty-click, clickerty-clack . . . "). The bright retro illustrations look like a 1960s record-album cover. The train and the characters' clothing are depicted in glossy colors and covered with flat floral patterns and other graphic designs. The people's stylized faces are adorned with eyeglasses, freckles, and/or beards and mustaches; surrounded by hair of different shades; and topped with hats of all shapes and sizes. There are many details for children to pore over, like a full tea cart and doily-covered tables for the "ladies off to the races" and the fancy uniforms worn by the "soldiers off on parade." This visually pleasing offering joins a large pantheon of good train titles including Philemon Sturges's I Love Trains! (HarperCollins, 2001) and Donald Crews's Freight Train (HarperCollins, 1978).

Kirkus Reviews

"Here is the station all noisy and full, / and the station clock goes, ‘Tick-tock, tickerty-tock . . . '/ and the man in the station office cries, ‘Hurry up! Hurry up! Any more tickets . . . ?' " So begins this charming chronicle of the cacophonous morning departure of an old-fashioned, presumably British train. Fun-to-read-aloud sound effects from engines ("Chuff-chuff, chufferty-chuff"), passengers ("Lovely cake, Doris. Lovely tea, Mabel . . . ") and even chickens keep the linear story chugging along to its finale, when a caged parrot mimics the train's sounds and the passengers' prattle in a lively, rhythmic song. The color-soaked illustrations, in "pen, ink and Macintosh," are wonderfully whimsical depictions of frivolously curlicued railway stations of yesteryear, ornate trains and eccentric passengers, from bespectacled, broom-bearing soldiers to purple-suited businessmen eating boiled eggs. Recurring elements such as a teapot and a few snails reward young readers who take the time to look closely. A fresh, visually arresting read-aloud with a lovely old-time feel. (Picture book. 3-5)

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