The Banshee Train

Odds Bodkin's story, based on folklore that Irish railroad workers brought to America, and Ted Rose's shimmering watercolors evoke the suspense and mystery of this otherworldly chase through the high Rocky Mountains. On a foggy night, spring floods swell the Colorado River. John Mercer, engineer of Train Number 1, and Mr. O'Reilly, his fireman, worry about crossing Gore Canyon where, twenty years before, the trestle washed out and an unlucky engineer drove his train over the edge. Is Gore Canyon Trestle still there? And can they-should they-try to outrun the Banshee?

Kindergarten-Grade 3?A lively picture book set in 1929. While heading through Colorado on a foggy night, the engineer and fireman of Train Number 1 notice some unusual occurrences. First, the throttle swings off all by itself. After the engine resumes speed, a mysterious locomotive appears on the tracks behind them, and they must travel at full speed to avoid a collision. Just before they reach Gore Canyon Trestle, Number 1 comes to a sudden halt. Then the men hear "...an unearthly shriek" and see the ghostly head of a banshee rising from the train behind them, which disappears. The men discover that Gore Canyon Trestle is completely gone; the banshee saved them from certain death. The story is well paced, leading up to its dramatic climax smoothly and surely. Railroad terms are nicely interwoven throughout, and dialogue and description move the tale along briskly. Double-page watercolors capture the motion and color of the trains and the mountainous terrain. They don't show much of the two men, but the narrative conveys their emotions and excitement. An author's note briefly explains the background of the banshee and the role of Irish immigrants in working on American railroads. More suspenseful than scary, this title should appeal to kids who enjoy stories about trains and ghosts.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library, OR
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Eeriness and danger permeate the watercolors illustrating this spectral tale by professional storyteller Bodkin. Sparse, unfussy language quickly creates an air of scary credibility, but it is Rose who brings the nuances?silent, snowy landscapes; menacing skies?that richly compensate for the loss of a performer's voice and for the occasional gaps in the narrative. Traveling through a heavy Colorado rainstorm in the spring of 1929, the engineer and fireman of Train No. 1 see a train barreling behind them. When they try to speed to safety, their train is inexplicably shut down. The other train zooms right through them, carrying ghostly passengers and a banshee?a supernatural presence whose shriek foretells death. But this particular banshee has prevented the deaths of everyone aboard Train No. 1. She has halted the train's approach to a collapsed bridge, washed out by the storm?just as it had been 20 years ago when another train plunged catastrophically into the river below. Spooky in content and presentation, this story should send a few shivers down little spines. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 6^-9. Running Train Number 1 west from Denver in 1929, engineer Mercer remembers tales of a wreck that occurred when the Gore Canyon Trestle washed out 100 years earlier, and he vows to check out the trestle before attempting to cross the canyon. Soon, Mercer and his fireman O'Reilly are forced to run at full speed to avoid colliding with a mysterious train behind them. Just before they reach the canyon, their train suddenly stops, and they hear the wail of "the Banshee," as the ghostly train behind Number 1 overtakes it and plunges into the cavern just beyond. Bodkin, a professional storyteller, builds suspense as the train picks up speed, and Rose contributes a series of attractive watercolor paintings of trains and landscapes stretching across the double-page spreads. Don't purchase this for preschool train fans, though. Despite the picture-book format, there's nothing particularly childlike in the approach of writer or artist. For larger collections. Carolyn Phelan