About the Author:
Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California in a house with a printing press, a grand piano, a shortwave radio, and his father—children’s author Sid Fleischman. Playing recorder in early music consorts led to his books of verbal duets—I Am Phoenix, Joyful Noise (winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal), and Big Talk. His novels built from monologues include Bull Run, a 16-character account of the Civil War's first battle, and Seedfolks—the chronicle of the first year of a Cleveland community garden. His interest in theater inspired his young adult novels Mind's Eye, Seek, and Breakout, all of which revolve around the spoken word. His historical fiction includes Saturnalia and The Borning Room. He's written nonfiction and picture books as well, including Time Train, Weslandia, and Sidewalk Circus.
Alongside the Newbery Medal, he's won a Newbery Honor Book, the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the PEN West Literary Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and most recently was a finalist for the 2003 National Book Award. He makes his home in the village of Aromas, California.
From School Library Journal:
Kindergarten-Grade 3-- Does the Polar Express rust idly for 364 days a year? Or does it perhaps run off-peak as the Time Train, a.k.a. the Rocky Mountain Unlimited ? A class trip from New York to the Dinosaur National Monument stays on track geographically, but chronologically it's a bit of a surprise. Horse-drawn carriages, Civil War officers, and herds of bison mark the turning back of the clock, accelerated when an Ice Age snowscape and woolly mammoth pass by. The final destination is damp and tropical--but swarming with dinosaurs. With study projects (on live subjects) and play, the days pass--until one morning the train returns to take them home. The text maintains an ironic reserve, never commenting directly on the unusual circumstances depicted. Ewart's warm watercolors brighten the simplified volumes that recall Van Allsburg's style. Young passengers who seasonally line up for The Polar Express should be delighted with a year-round excursion on The Time Train.
-Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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