The Train Ride - Softcover

An author of picture books, poetry and fiction, June is also a leading poetry anthologist. Illustrator of the vibrant and popular picture book The Train Ride.

Enthusiasm is the order of the day as a round-faced child and her mother board a cheery red train: "We're off on a journey/ Out of the town-/ What shall I see?/ What shall I see?" On each subsequent spread, Crebbin's bouncy text and Lambert's sunshine-bright, chalk pastel art reveal the bucolic pleasures spied along the way-a mare and her foal; "A shiny red tractor/ Pulling its load"; a trio of geese; and a hot-air balloon. Repeated phrases ("What shall I see?" and "That's what I see") echo the soothing rhythm of a train's motion, until at last the girl and her mother reach their destination and spy the best view of all: "There is my grandma/ Welcoming me.../ Welcoming me." Lambert's varied perspectives and the book's attractive design heighten the visual appeal: text is confined to a two-inch strip beneath the full-spread illustrations, with each phrase set against alternating blocks of green and yellow. This sweet work by the creators of Fly by Night offers youngsters a nostalgic look at a favorite mode of transport. Ages 3-up.
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