Locomotive

This is a great book. It is the fictional, but very realistic story of a family going West to Sacramento California. It is full of actual places, history, illustrations, and TRAINS! The jupiter is brillantly illustrated. The illustrator does a magnificent job on a diagram of the inner workings of the engine. My son is three years old and I thought he was a little young for the book, but we read it and reread it. I think he will only appreciate it more with time. I am updating my review. My son is now 4 years old and still loves the book. He uses the quote "westward westward goes the train" throughout the day. He has a better understanding of the mechanics of the trains. He loves the use of the double header in the book. It is a fascinating concept for him and he uses this phrase when playing with his own toy trains. I know that this concept was inspired by this book. The rickety bridge and the theoretical train explosion are clearly his favorite parts of the book.

My 4yo is enamored with this book. He will watch nothing other, play nothing other than trains for months straight now, and this is the only book he wants to read since it got here. It's kind of a long read but it's not boring and dragging like some kids' books are. There are different fonts and word art that make reading more interesting, as well as historical facts about the building of the rail line, travel to the west, the workings of the train, amenities for the passengers, and what happens at the stations along the way. I learned a lot just reading it to my kid. At the beginning there is a very cool map of the rail line that the train takes in the book and at the end there is a detailed diagram of the locomotive and all the parts.

Awesome book for our train lover! I bought it because Brian Floca was coming to our local bookstore so our 3 year old had the amazing bonus of meeting Brian Floca and having him sign his name and draw a train in his book. I actually bought it before the reading and he brought it to the event. We got it the day before and read it 4 times that day! We still read it all the time. It is a long book but it holds his attention well and the drawings are lovely and detailed. There is a lot of detail in the writing as well so he's been asking questions about the history in the book which is great. Addendum 1/28/14: Woo hoo, he just won the Caldecott! Super awesome book!

If you have a kid who likes trains, this is the book. No matter how old, no matter how knowledgeable, Brian Floca brilliantly tells train-lovers about locomotives in this gem. The illustrations are top-notch, and the storytelling is excellent. My 4-year old cannot yet read, but he practically has the book memorized from how many times he's asked me to read it, and he now will sit quietly with it for up to an hour turning through the pages and taking breaks to play with his toy trains.

This book captivated me, my wife, and my two year old son. It quickly became one of his go-to bedtime books, although it isn't really a bedtime story so much as a work of historical fiction rich in contextual detail. It provides much more detail and information suitable for learners of any age up through high school, and I am still fascinated by the technical details in some of drawings and diagrams. The illustrations are truly beautiful. There is a storyline, but no plot per-se -- enjoy it for its fact filled setting and information on steam trains, surrounded by fantastic illustration.

If you are looking for a book to read to a small child, I would not recommend this one. The story is quite long and I can't see a child under 6 sitting long enough to finish it. That said, the pictures are beautiful and it is a nice, informative story. It is a great book for a child who is interested in trains because of the pictures alone. An early reader would probably have trouble reading the text, but they will probably enjoy having it read to them. I can see this being a book that grows with the child, from looking at the pictures as a preschooler, to having it read to them as an early elementary student, to reading to themselves as their reading skills improve. I do absolutely recommend this book, but your purpose for ordering will determine the age it is appropriate for.

This book is a gem. The illustrations are gorgeous and the text is engaging. I've read this book for my child at least 30 times as a library checkout and finally decided to purchase a copy. The book follows the journey of a train across the transcontinental railway. My little one loves it, but this is also a great read for older children learning about the railroad. The front and back of the book have additional information about tains and the transcontinental railway. Even the cover under the book jacket has a beautiful picture of bison. The book is well constructed.

We got this book for our six and four year old daughters after a camping trip to the northern Sierras that included a trip to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum. We drove along the track described here from Sacramento to the Nevada border, and read about the snow sheds at the museum. My six-year-old and I had also just read the true and rather brutal story of a pioneer girl who took a wagon train across the country, which made the contrast in travel particularly vivid. The timing made the story really resonate with both my girls. My older daughter loves trains, and has reveled in the train details as well as the history. I read the book to her once, and she has read it to herself twice more so far. My four-year-old is young for such a long book, but she listened and asked questions through the whole book. I loved the history and the drawings, the details about the train and its path, and the cadence of the words. I would recommend this for just about anyone, but especially those who are interested in history or trains.

Non, non je ne suis pas essoufflée… Ce soir, je voulais absolument vous parler d’un album époustouflant, celui du talentueux auteur/illustrateur Brian Floca: Locomotive Retour dans le passé: 1er Juillet 1862, Abraham Lincoln signe le “Pacific Railroad Act” qui autorise enfin la construction de la première ligne de chemin de fer transcontinentale aux États-Unis. Cette conquête par le rail va demander un effort humain considérable et de nombreux hommes vont y perdre leur vie. Locomotive raconte un des premiers voyages à bord d’un de ces trains transcontinentaux avec en tête, pour ouvrir cette marche vers l’ouest, une puissante et majestueuse locomotive. Les illustrations sont extraordinaires, elles semblent être en mouvement perpétuel comme cette machine enragée lancée à pleine puissance à travers les Grandes Plaines, on s’y croirait… Cet album fourmille de détails historiques et techniques et la Pacific Railroad n’aura plus aucun secret pour vous. Vous allez même savoir comment fonctionnaient les toilettes dans un train de 1869! Surtout, ne restez pas sur le quai, embarquez pour ce fabuleux voyage, le trajet sera long, parfois intense, parfois drôle et vous vous laisserez bercer par la respiration bestiale de cette grande et merveilleuse Locomotive!

Fantastic illustrations, a real journey & insight for all youngsters.. & dads. This is an impressive book that leaves a lasting impression. Gorgeous illustrations & vivid descriptions of a time gone by & an impression of who came before us pathing our way.

Locomotive is a fabulous picture book retelling the story of the early railroads in America with richly detailed illustrations and engaging text. This is the sort of book you can use as the jumping off point for a detailed study of the railroad, or simply enjoy as an engaging and informative bedtime story. The size of this book is one of my favourite features as it allows each of the illustrations to truly come to life. You want to climb into the pages and explore this fascinating world of long ago, yet not so long ago, all on your own. The free-verse narrative flows and chuffs, much like a train, through each page conveying information while delighting the reader. This book was meant to be read-aloud. Absolutely wonderful! I also highly recommend Brian Floca's other informational books, Lightship and Moonshot, they are both equally wonderful.

This is an incredible book at so much levels. The illustrations are dynamic, beautifully exceuted.. There is a aestehtic equilibrium of strong constrast of tone, detail while having a pleasant colour palate easy on the eye. I intially purchased for the illustration but found myself captivated the story and the text,. I am not usually a person who is into trains! It accounts the process of how a locomtive works, while giving life to the character who ride it. The typography increases the value even more by annunciating the sound effects transforming the book into an intermodal experience.. Even the end pages engage you, accounting the historical context while showing the enginnering process of this fascinating mode of transport. This books is for both children and adults each in their own way. I certainly would see this book serving both in a school and home environment for its interactive and educative quality.

Beautifully researched and illustrated factual book.