Trains and Railroads Books

Mailing May is the delightful tale of how a family living in 1914 ingeniously figures out an inexpensive way to send their little girl to her grandmother's house for a visit. May desperately wants to see her Grandma Mary, but unfortunately her family does not have enough money to buy her a train ticket. She attempts to find a job at Alexander's department store, and is crushed when he has no positions for young children. After returning home distressed and upset, May is woken up that night by her father, who has a special surprise. Her parents bring her to the Post Office and successfully convince the postmaster to mail her as a package. Stamped and addressed, May boards the train escorted by her cousin Leonard, who is in charge of the mail. After a long journey across the state, the mailman and his precious package reach the end of the tracks. Leonard delivers the package to Grandma Mary who is eagerly awaiting her arrival. May is able to visit her dear Grandma, but only with a little help from the US Post Office.

I think with the postal service (as with many other institutions we take for granted), children often wonder "What would happen if . . ." Michael O. Tunnell's "Mailing May" plays with this idea. May, a little girl in the book, wants to visit her grandmother, but her family doesn't have the money for a train ticket, so May's father and Leonard (the post-man) must come up with an alternative solution. Ultimately they mail May like a package, and even the grumpy conductor of the train can't help but laugh at the idea. That the story apparently is true, and not merely a "what if" tale (according to the back of the book) seems to only increase reader delight.

Note on the illustrations: The illustrations are 3/4-page watercolor paintings, with smaller paintings of postage stamps, photographs, tags, and railroad documents, thus adding to the story's sense of reality and historicity. They help establish the early 1900s setting, and develop the characters through facial expressions.

This is a wonderful story, a true story, and made me think of the many afternoons with my dad when I was tiny singing the Guthrie tune "I'm gonna Mail Myself to You". The drawings are superb, they seem like paintings rather than illustrations in a children's book. Sweet and lovely. Worth every penny.

I really liked the book Mailing because it was an interesting, funny, and cute little story. It was about a five year old girl who didn't have $1.55 for a ticket to go visit her grandma. SO instead they mailes her as a baby chick through the US Postal Service. Instead it only cost her $0.53 than the $1.55 it would cost to buy a ticket. The pictures in this book were fantastic, they showed al ot of action. THis was a true story.

This is a very cute book and it has a good story line. I liked the pictures because they look like they were really taken in 1914. These pictures are also bright and colorful and ful of emotion. May is also a very spunky little girl, so that makes it even more fun. And i especially like how they worded it. This story is about a girl named May who really wants to see her grandmother who lives 1000 miles away. But her father and mother can't afford it.But they see how dissapointed ahe is. So they decided to mail her. This adventure is a great book for all boys and girls. Over all i liked it!

The delightful rhymes and simple illustrations sum up summer perfectly. This is a must for a young child's library.

My three boys, all under 4, love this book. It's loaded with ice cream eating, marshmallow roasting, firefly catching fun. If your kids -- or kids you know -- love to swim, eat watermelon, play with pups, or swing up high, they will love this book. My four year old has memorized many of the rhymes and loves to add his own twists. The others are not far behind. The drawings are big and colorful with lots of smiles. Pup always seems to be in a situation the kids find hilariously funny. Whenever we need a dose of summer, we read this book and summer is in season -- even in the dead of winter.

I am such a fan of Roy Mckie's illustrations. This is a similar book to 'snow' which is also illustrated by McKie using the same two children. In this book, Summer, they explore the lovely things to do in summer, things like Watermelon, going to the beach, swinging and catching fireflies.

The pictures are enormously appealing to my 2 and 4 year olds, and my 4 year old is beginning to enjoy early reading attempts. The rhymes are simple and so are the illustrations.

There is also a bit of nostalgia for a bygone era, of hay rides and horses.

I was happy with my purchase at first until I realized this book is missing two pages that the original version has.
I have an original version I just wanted a newer book to read to my grandchildren. The two pages that are missing ended up being my granddaughter's favorite parts. She was very disappointed

This has been my son's favorite book since he was 12 months old. He carries it around the house and brings it to me to read to him. We can bury this book in a mound of others and my son will still find it for me to read. It's the only book that he hasn't damaged in some way. He's 18 months old now and will sit in my lap quietly while I read this to him.

The writing is superb and easy for the kids to follow. The pictures are gorgeous and colorful. Kudos to both the author and the illustrator!

My son has been obsessed with trains since he was six months old. This book opened up a world for him. He has learned rhythm, how to rhyme and how to read from this book. I started to read this book to him when he was six months old, and now as a five year old, he is reading it all by himself.

This book also introduced Thomas the Tank Engine to him ... all of the Thomas videos and books are outstanding. He has learned so many valuable lessons from them ... the importance of manners, friendships, respect, etc.

I would HIGHLY recommend this book to any parent whose child is fascinated by trains and by Thomas and his friends. It is a stable book that will withstand much handling. It is definitely a treasure to be kept for future generations.

I really like the concept of using beloved characters to introduce children to different types of poetry. I like the types of poetry selected; I like the character selection; the art is nice, and the book is VERY nicely put together, with its durable silver-edged pages and thick cover.
But oh, the issues with the text! The author strays beyond the restrictions of meter frequently, which makes it easy for tongues to trip when reading the poems aloud. "Real" is used instead of "really" at least twice. The poem about whether or not Thomas has a heart goes back and forth on the issue enough times to be confusing about its stance. The poem about Trevor says that Thomas, rather than Edward, saved him from scrap; the poem about Emily says that she is the only female steamie--and, although Rosie and Molly might not have been around when the book was published, I have trouble believing that Lady hadn't been introduced yet.
Am I nitpicking? Probably. But when you read a book to your kid over and over again, little things can seem a lot bigger.
My 2 1/2-year-old son really enjoys the book and giggles at the repetition of "chop chop chop" in the poem about Harold. Railway Rhymes is a good buy and lots of fun, but don't expect perfection.

Mentions all the main characters in Thomas. My son loves having the stories read...and read...and read to him.

The pictures are great. The poems themselves are a little strained sometimes but hey, it makes the the little one happy.

I think you do have to be a Thomas fan to really enjoy this book.

Railway Rhymes is a large, colorful board book with "puffy" (padded) covers. What's extra special about this book is the silver edging on this book. Remember those large family Bibles that had gold edges that shone when closed? This book has the same edging, except in silver--making it truly special.

My son asks me to read a few poems every night and enjoys looking through the book. It's great to hear from some of the lesser known residents of the Island of Sodor (Bulstrode, Murdoch, Rheneas, Stepney, Trevor, et.al.), too!

What I found particularly interesting is that the poems aren't written in the same style. Some feature longer lines, almost like a story--while others are quite short. For example, here's the rhyme from The Breakdown Train:

"The Breakdown Train, he has no name.
He's quiet, strong, and spare.
But if there's a crash and trains go smash,
The Breakdown Train is there."

Here's a fun poem from Bertie the bus:

"Faster, wheels!
Round and round,
To Wellsworth Station, I am bound!

Honk! Honk!
Make way!
I have stops to make today!

Waah! Waah!
Babies, hush!
Don't cry--I'm in a rush!

Vroom! Vroom!
Beep! Beep!
There's a schedule I must keep!

Crossing's down,
Boo-hoo!
Thomas goes to Wellsworth, too!

Stop sign!
No fair!
I really want to beat him there!

Hurry, Driver!
Please give chase.
Who do you think
will win this race?"

Thomas and Friends Railway Rhymes is an excellent introduction to Sir Topham Hatt and the denizens on the Island of Sodor. Fans of Thomas the Tank Engine will likely be thrilled to see colorful illustrations of all their favorite trains and other vehicles--as well as fun rhymes.

This book is amongst the best of the Thomas & Friends' series as it has tons of poems and rhymes of various engines working in the Isle of Sodor that every kid would love to read if they are Thomas & Friends' fans! My kids love it very much and I have to read to them everyday!

Very nice photography, I love it yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it yeah, yeah, yeah, I love it yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. As usual with Hans Halberstat, the text isn't great, but it passes the F test. He talks of the early geeps and the latest MACs, and the full body locos (F-units). He also interviews engineers, and they give him the goods and the bads of driving trains. Personally, I am a fan of GM's locos much more than GE's, and now that I have read this book, it seems that many engineers agree with me.
Trevor

I thought the text was well written and informative and the pictures were wonderful but there was absolutely no link between the two. Text sections about the EMD had pictures of unrelated locos. It was frustrating to read about a certain locomotive and then have to search the entire book to try and find a picture of it. It was like the text was written, then they bought the nicest stock pictures of locos they could find and pasted them into the text wherever the art director wanted them, without ever reading the text. I was also hoping for more description of how a GP7 was different from an SD40 and such. Still looking for a book with that info.

This book has everything I ever wanted to know about trains, the difference between AC and DC motors, how the modern locos operate and too much more to type!

This book has a lot of really nice pictures of the latest locomotives, but is seriously short on text. It's written in a disjointed style - that is, some of the information is repeated multiple times in the same chapter. It also seems to be written for younger readers.

As books about US Railroads are hard to get in Europe (albeit amazon.de is very helpful in providing them), I was looking for a very "basic" work on modern US diesels, describing what makes the engines roll in words and pictures. I think that Hans Halberstadt did a good job there, yet some chapters seem a little short and do noe quite entirely cover the respective topic. Short eyewitness reports lighten up the reading. Nice book; I caught myself every now and then checking certain things on my HO models, to see if they were there, too. This book is also highly recommendable for everyone who wants to spend his spare time browsing around in his/her spare time now and then. It helped me explain certain things about railroad equipment to some of my "uninitiated" friends.

In this book tomas is awaiting to take the kids home due to a broke down bus so he is very happy he gets to take these kids home but in the mean while tomas has to run arrons for his boss first he has to make a bunch of stops befor he can return to the train station.

So tomas is racing as fast as he can with all his jobs he has to do and trying to get back to the train station befor Henry is ready James is ready and even Sir topham Hatt is ready but tomas says he will hurry so he chugs and chugs he goes up the hill over the bridge through a tunnel and tomas stops at everystation at last his work is done right on time now he has to hurry back.

But tomas cant hurry tomas has to wait and wait and wait agin oh no will tomas be late will james or henry take the chirlden home? Oh my now what will come ahead it is bertie the bus he has broken down. But tomas wanted to help his friend but then he though he would be much to late h though stop or go help or hurry what do you think tomas should do but tomas cannot leave his friend behind will you take a passenger asks bertie?

Look at last tomas reaches back to the train station it is the hirlden bertie was taking hem home but hten agin hooray for tomas you have saved the day.

We received this book in a book club offer and it was our first experience with Thomas. That said, it's one of our favorites after 4 years of constant reading! The illustrations are SO much better than other books - the children and other characters look more like cartoon drawings instead of the "wooden" figures that you see in the videos. We prefer that in our house quite a bit. Also, the children are so grateful for Thomas picking them up in the end when Bertie breaks down, that one of the little girls gives him a kiss. Thus, sending Thomas into a very cute blush at the end of the story.

A very cute story - Ages newborn up to first to second grade. Highly recommend!

What a delightful story. It is one of our new favorites and I think it would make a fine addition to the home sheds of many a young Thomas fan.

As the story begins, everyone at the train yard is getting ready. The engines are getting shined up and are waiting... but for what? Why, the local school children are going on an outing.

Well, as we know, Thomas loves children and he very much wants to take them on a ride, but he has work to do on his branch line. Sir Topham Hatt tells him, however, that if he finishes his work fast, that he may take the children home. Thomas works hard to accomplish this goal, but is thwarted by fate, sheep and cows. The book builds excitement about whether Thomas will get back in time.

"Oh, no!
Will Thomas be late?
Will James or Henry take the children home?"

The climax comes when Thomas is finally free to race home, only to be confronted by the scene of his friend, Bertie, who has broken down.

"Thomas wants to help.
But then he will be late-
much too late.
Stop or go.
Help or hurry.
What should Thomas do?"

Well, OF COURSE, Thomas stops to help his friend and it's a good thing he does because Berties' passengers are the very children that Thomas was racing back to see.

The pictures in this little book are great. The drawings show Thomas up close and with lots of facial expression. The print is large and clear. (I don't need my spec's. LOL) But...

...Here is where I have to disagree with the publishers. They say that children from `preschoolers to grade 1' should be able to "recognize familiar words and sound out new words with help."

I've included some text above so you can judge for yourself if the level is appropriate for your child, but in my opinion this is not at kindergarten level.

Five Stars. Great Price. Story and drawings are great, and if your child (like mine) can't read it now, they will be able to in the future.

In this little book we have Thomas, a train who loves children.
The children are going on a school trip, but Thomas has work that he must do and he can't take them. Thomas is sad. Sir Topham Hatt tells Thomas if he does his job and hurries back, he can take them home. On his journey Thomas learns that by doing his job things have a way of working out for us. He learns how important it is to help others. This is a simple book for children to read, with short sentences and colorful illustrations.

Briefly the school children are shown as they arrive in their uniforms, the girls are in straw hats with the boys wearing red ties. It is never mentioned where exactly this class trip is and hard to tell by the way they are dressed. What is portrayed is how much fun it would be to be the train that takes the kids on the school trip. Before they depart the trains, known as Henry, Thomas and James are scrubbed so their engines are shiny and bright. " The train yard is ready."

Thomas the Tank Engine is all excited when the children arrive wanting them to see him push and pull. But it turns out that Thomas the Tank Engine has work to do on his regular branch line, which makes him sad as he would rather have fun taking the children on their school trip. " Sir Topham Hat has an idea. Do your job, Thomas. Then hurry back. You can take the children home." This sets the train in motion to rush about his regular routine just so he can take the kids home. What this shows in my opinion is Thomas the Tank Engine slacking off on his duties just so he can have fun. This is not a good message for my son to learn at this point in time.

Instead of the happy Thomas the Tank Engine content on his rides he is sad and thinking of hurrying back for the kids instead of focusing on the task at hand and gets upset when he has to wait for his loads and obstacles along the route. His face is red as he is riding up a hill and over a bridge and then through a tunnel. All the while the coaches Annie and Clarabel are reminding him to hurry back so they can take the children home. If they are late another train will do the job. Up ahead Thomas sees Bertie the Bus broken down, but first he ponders whether he should stop and help or continue on hurrying to get to the station before another train to take the kids home.

My son was able to read through Thomas the Tank Engine and the School Trip several times, but it was boring for him since he knew the ending. He also had many questions like where the kids were going on the trip and why they were all dressed in the same clothes. The last page is a green background that makes the text hard to read for my son also. He also wanted to know about what age the kids were on the school trip. It was hard to tell but they appear to be older like ten to thirteen perhaps.

For kids who are fans of Thomas the Tank Engine they will like the book. I would hope others reading will instill to their children how rushing through a job is not the answer.

My oldest son received this for his 3rd or 4th birthday and we loved reading it to him. It was one of the few books my daughter would sit still and listen to at the age of 2 or 3. The binding did not hold up well on the first book, but we kept the pages together and continued to read it to the kids. I had been looking in stores to get a new one, but I couldn't find it. Once I found out it was out of print, a friend recommended looking online.

We just received our book a few days ago and we gave it to our 3-year-old son for his birthday. It's so nice to have the complete book again! He loved hearing the story and making the sounds along with us. Thank you so much for bringing our search to an end! I would recommend this book to anyone with little boys and girls. My oldest son now loves reading it to his little brother!

A great book for introducing the concepts of big and little and loud and soft. The story follows 2 trains, one big one little, from Kalamazoo to Timbuctoo. Great sounds, and a cute little poem at the end.

This book became my son's favorite when he was about 3. He loved the rhythm and hearing Mom say "WHO-OOOO!" and "Whee-eeee!". He would often sit and read it to himself, repeating the fun train sounds. He and his brother have "loved" it so much that our copy is now beyond repair, so I'm glad to know that it's still available for purchase!

My two-year-old (almost three) absolutely loves this book and I thoroughly enjoying reading it. The rythm and rhymes and imagery are just plain fun. My son likes to make the train whistle sounds himself when we get to those parts. This is a book I would definitely think of giving as a gift. It's simply a classic.

I am looking for a reading copy of this book, as I fear for the life of my first edition since my two daughters, ages 2 and 4, have discovered it. They don't want to look at it by themselves -- they want me to read it, because this is one of the all-time great books for reading aloud. The pictures are nice, but it's the rhythm that makes the story. When read in the proper spirit, the text sounds like a train going over railroad tracks. The contrasting sounds of the big and small trains help to hold the kids'attention, and best of all, my kids love to make the sounds with me as I read. What kid can resist a hearty "Whooooooo!" or a quiet "wheeeeeee! or a quiet chant of "picketa picketa picketa picketa" for the small engine and a loud chant of "POCKETA POCKETA POCKETA POCKETA" for the big engine? Mine can't. And they're girls who aren't overly excited by trains. They do love music, though, and that's what the rhythm of this book most closely resembles.

Perhaps the best book of its type, the postwar Lionel train owner should have it in his library. It tells how to bring those old trains back to life, run them and enjoy them. Beyone rudimentary repair is everything from layouts to wiring to operating accessories. The author has the ability to explain detailed concepts succintly and understandably. In a genre that's usually repetitive, Beginner's Guide to Repairing Lionel Trains stands out as unique, fresh and useful

Don't pay $140.00, I paid $14.00 plus change. I called amazon customer service about the price, but just got an (It's Not My Problem). They said I needed to call the seller's which were not associated with amazon.

Well, I called around and finally got the book for $14.00 and change. This does not include shipping as it will very depending on where you live.

The place is called The Western Depot Model Railroad Needs located in CA

Good luck, but don't pay the quoted price.

This book not only will help you learn to repair Lionel trains, but it also serves as a great introduction to Lionel for the newcomer. Very easy read, but packed with info.

Good Book but wish it had a little bit more on switch repair.Some of my older switches have bad return springs and the text talks about it but has no diagrams.

This book allowed me to take a box of old trains and tracks that hadn't been used in over 30 years and get it going again with only a few hours of work.

the book was very informative. gives a good idea of what train hopping and the respect it deserves is all about. would recomend this book to any person who is interested in the safety of cargo travel. I even used the knowledge I gained from this book to travel by freight in mexico.

there aint no book anyone can write that can explain how-to train hop.it gives young punks a feeling that they will be safe if they follow the rules.bull.i been out here on the rails for 20 years and i couldnt have learned any of it from a book.theres aready too many stupid kids out there who think they know it all.hell, some a them ride to protest.train ridin is tough.it`s for people who dont like people.that are dirt poor.ride to live.live to ride.lets keep it that way brother.if your gonna ride.get out there and do it.dont read no book.

When I first hopped freight trains, in 1970, there were no books to explain it or to allow one to learn the safe way to do it. Littlejohn is an entertaining writer, but most of all, his information is accurate, and his advice is sound. He approaches the subject from the viewpoint of a "sportsman," and he does gloss over some of the negatives, but the book is informative and intelligently written. I know of only one other book about trainhopping, and of the two, I find Littlejohn's book to be the more timely and superior of the two. In a way, the people that most need to read Littlejohn's book are those least likely to do so, but I would have benefitted enormously if it had been available when I was a neophyte tramp. Youngsters reading this book may get the idea that trainhopping is just one big lark. This isn't true, but at least if they follow Littlejohn's rules they will avoid getting hurt long enough to figure it out. I have ridden trains for years, and I learned a lot I didn't know. If you intend to trainhop, READ IT WITH AN EYE TO SURVIVAL. Just the list of rules in the front is worth the price of the book, if you follow them.

Littlejohn's book is an ideal gateway into the world of freight hopping. It is well written. The author's personality & outlook as they come through in the book are encouraging. It is full of advice, both with respect to general things such as the broad makeup & functioning of the railroad system & particular things such as what time of the week you are more likely to find a train & what air brakes sound like (you'll find out why knowing this sound is important). It incorporates personal anecdote without relying too heavily upon it.

I have a few reservations, however. While I wouldn't call it outdated, it does show a few signs of age. It mentions the possibility of riding on automobile carriers, for instance. It would be inadvisable to do this even were it feasible, but with the new designs of car carrier, it is next to impossible to ride one. There are other instances of Littlejohn's writing bearing the stamp of age, but fortunately, not very many of them concern vital things. In other words, most of what is dated is either relatively unimportant to the actual practice of freight hopping or still viable with the application of some common sense (which you'll need a lot of to ride the rails successfully anyway).

In addition, the book skimps on some aspects of modern freight hopping, such as radio frequency scanning, but this is no big deal. In my opinion, Littlejohn is wise to concentrate on the more fundamental aspects of hopping freights.

This book will start preparing you for hopping freights. If you take the advice in this book, start small, supplement it with information from the Web (for instance, the freight hoppers e-mail list at train-hoppers@nw.com ), & practice, you should be well on your way. Moreover, once you have caught out a few times, you can return to the book often to hone your skills.

A valuable book, highly recommended.

This book tells everything you need to know about hopping freights. And I liked the author's background history and personal tales.

You need to know what you're doing if you want to hop freights. This book tells all.

How dare they let this book go out of print! This is one of the best children's train books around, and I thought it was destined to become a bona fide classic. It's a beautiful book to look at, and has a lovely rhythm which the reader will enjoy. It is Funny Where Ben's Train Takes Him, as the tracks run off the drawing pad, past the toy cows on the bedroom floor, out the window and into a tunnel where they are passed by another train carrying a dinosaur, and back safely into a rural landscape of plowed fields, the checkerboard pattern on his bedspread. I can't recommend this gentle and imaginative book too highly.

I am always surprised when I find a good book that is only available in the after-market. What's with that?! (LOL).

This book is sweet, a good candidate for a `good night' book, and is bound to appeal to the train-fanatics amongst us. (Certainly my 3 year old son liked it.)

In this story, Ben draws trains and increasingly he, and we, get pulled into his imagination. His blanket becomes hills in the background. His blocks become tunnels, skyscrapers, and trees, and his toys become real cows and horses until at last he comes to the last station, "In my bed".

"Slow, slow, and slower.
Ben nods his head.
And arrives at the station
Called In-My-Bed.

Where filled with travels,
And train-wheel hums,

He'll dream train dreams,
Till morning comes.

Four Stars. A good read-aloud and good-night book. The artwork is sweet and clever and at least my little Thomas fan likes it.

While there are other books in the boy draws train motief -at the moment I'm thinking of Margaret Wise Brown's "Two Little Trains" book- we think this one is better.

Note: `funny' is indeed an difficult word for preschoolers and young children to understand in context. We substitute `interesting' when reading.

Children will love the illustrations in this picture book. Most younger children will have a hard time grasping the subtle humor. Children will have fun searching for things during the ride that are in Ben's room before the adventure starts. Can be good with students learning varying meanings of words in 3rd grade and up to think about what the word funny is meant to mean in the story.

While my 2-year-old likes the pictures, the concepts of imagination and fantasy are apparently over his head. He clearly doesn't understand the concept, although he does enjoy the clip of the rhyming text. My advice: wait until your child is a little older before trying this book.

My 2 y.o. son LOVES this book. He loves trains and he gets that the little boy in the story is using his imagination to fantasize where the train goes. It's a bedtime favorite and I highly recommend it.

As usual, Cynthia Rylant has written us a funny, warm story about Mr. Putter and his fine cat Tabby. Each book in this series is an excellent addition to every library. My daughter and I read them over and over, enjoying them more each time. The illustrations are perfect. Just be sure to get a copy for everyone who loves reading a great book.

I'm a hard core Cynthia Ryland fan, and the Mr Putter series is my favorite of her prolific works. I love how she brings older people (Mr Putter and his delightful neighbor) to life, and shows their passions and yearnings, and their humanity... in ways that kids can understand and relate with.

I love Cynthia Rylant books. I collect them by the dozens for use in my classroom. I was a little concerned with this book because the character was sneaky in getting his pet on the train. I don't like to give my children the idea that it is okay to be sneaky to get by the rules. I'm not sure that I will put this one on my shelf.

I love the Mr Putter books as well as Cynthia Rylant's work in general. This book is a charming addition to the series, and one especially good for kids who love vehicles/trains as my little boy does. **However, if you're trying to be super-careful about what moral messages you send your kids, you should know the plot before you buy this story. Pets are not allowed on trains, so Mr Putter & Mrs Teaberry _smuggle_ Tabby and Zeke onto the train with them. Not so good for teaching kids to respect rules...**

The bottom line: I read this book with my son because we both enjoy it, but eventually he will start to notice how Mr Putter breaks the rules and we'll have to have a discussion about it.

This book is a reminder of how pleasant it is to ride the train, even though they do smuggle their pets on-board.