Locomotive

Locomotive

Picture book
When my mother was a little girl living way out in rural North
Carolina she would hear the haunting tone of train whistles and ponder
on where they were going, dreaming of someday travelling to these far
off locales. A whole lot of time has passed since. With planes and
rockets you'd think today's kids would have no interest in something
so old timey. And you'd be wrong. Whether counting cars, waving to a
conductor, or scaring friends with late night campfire tales about
phantom trains and headless engineers, they seem to catch some of the
mystique.
Brian Floca's Locomotive can take them way back to 1869, when
the transcontinental railroad had just been completed. Along with a
woman and her son and daughter they'll step on a train in Omaha,
Nebraska, headed for California. They'll learn where they would
sleep, how they would stay warm, and why using the toilet when the
train is stopped at a station is considered rude. They'll enjoy
lively descriptions of the vivid, ever changing scenery. They will
also learn all that went into keeping the iron horse running safely
back then.
For the young boy or girl who is captivated by trains,
Locomotive can be quite the ticket for adventure and learning. :)
On a personal note, when I was a little girl growing up on the
Massachusetts coast train trips to Boston were the total cat's
pajamas. There was usually an exotic destination like the circus or
downtown transformed into Christmas awaiting winter wonderland.
However, the trip itself, for which we would dress up in church
clothes, was a big part of the magic. I have vivid memories of gazing
out the windows and running up and down the aisle to refill cone
shaped water cups. For some reason mom had little patience with
this. I also recall with great fondness a trip to and from North
Carolina involving sleeper cars. Wowza!
A great big shout out goes to the folks running trains today,
especially the guys who never forget to return the waves of small and
not so small people.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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