Trains: A Pop-Up Railroad. Robert Crowther. 2016. Candlewick Press. 10 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Locomotives. The first trains were just linked mining wagons pulled by human or horse power, used to carry coal and mineral ores back in sixteenth century Europe. The invention of the first powered locomotive in the early nineteenth century revolutionized the way a train moved.

Premise/plot: This is POP-UP book celebrating trains. It is an interactive book. Trains don't just pop-up on a few pages. There are flaps to lift and tabs to pull as well. Above all else, this one is packed with very detailed information.

Did You Know?

• That Richard Trevithick built the first working steam locomotive in 1804.
• That British trains began carrying passengers in 1829 and American trains began carrying passengers in 1830.
• That Dr. Rudolf Diesel built the first diesel engine in 1897. 
• That George Pullman introduced the first luxury sleeping cars in 1865.
• That the fastest steam locomotive is/was the Mallard. It set the record in 1938 with 126 mph. The record has never been broken...by another steam train.
• That the fastest train these days is the Japanese train, Maglev. It can go up to 374 mph!

My thoughts: I liked this one. I'm not a huge train enthusiast. But I know many people--of all ages--are. I think this one is a good and fun resource to have. It isn't so much a narrative to read aloud--there isn't a proper story. But it is a resource: plenty of definitions, explanations, illustrations, and such.




© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews