My Best Book of Trains (The Best Book of)

By Richard Balkwill

Book Overview

All aboard for a riveting ride along the rails Tracks and smokestacks, signals and steam trains, engineers and diesels - all the details that thrill young train enthusiasts are here in this information-packed picture book. With its action-oriented text, detailed, full-color spreads and step-by-step illustrations, this book takes a trip aboard trains from all over the world, and every period of railroad history. Realistic art shows the fascinating detail behind the steam engines of the past, and the sleek outlines of the modern, high-speed French TGV and Japanese bullet trains. A cutaway drawing helps young readers imagine life in a dining car. A reference section at the back of the book includes an illustrated glossary and an index to encourage reference skills and stoke the imagination of any future Casey Jones.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0753452006
• ISBN13: 9780753452004
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Kingfisher
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.1" x 0.7" x 9.7"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Kindergarten to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

mother of a train lover!!!

This is a great book - my 5 year old son LOVES trains and this book showcases trains in a really clear and concise way - it shows different styles of trains from all over the world and is a really educational book for kids or any train lover!

Little Train Lovers Book

My youngest is a train fantic and this book is perfect. It gives clear information with great pictures.

Excellent non-fiction train book for 4-6 year olds

While intended for libraries, I would highly recommend this book for the home. It was published in 1999 and favours British terminology, but it is an excellent book for the young child who delights in learning about the subject of trains. Most notably the picture-to-text ratio is well balanced--making a non-fiction book that parents can read to a child with enough picture detail (not too much, not too little) to hold a child's imagination and to aid further discussion of the text. I would recommend this book over the DK "big book of..." series because the DK series has too many pictures and not enough text to help a young child place the information in a coherent world view. The Best Book of Trains lives up to the adage of less is more. More than once I have found my son "reading" this book to himself. He has yet to start school and his reading consists of looking at the pictures and remembering as much of the story as he can from the last reading with Dad or Mom. Despite the 1999 publishing date the book holds up amazingly well with time both in terms of pictures and information. There may be faster trains in the world now, but apart from the reference to the 'American Flyer' train that was to be brought into service by Amtrak in 1999 there was nothing that detracts from the quality or authority of the book.

Husband loves it

We bought this book for my nephew's birthday but my husband loved it so much we're saving it as his Christmas present so my husband can read it first :) It's full of interesting information. It's great to read to a little one or buy it for a child that can read it on his own...maybe even a kid at heart like my husband.

Clear, colorful book at a great value

ordered this book for my almost-3 year old boy who just loves trains- he loved looking at all the pictures! the book is good for children 3 and up, due to it being a fact-based/reference book. my boy will "grow on this" book which is great- that is the purpose of books- have lasting use! very colorful book with big, clear, appealing pictures, much like those from DK Publishing.