The Train Ride

Looking at the world through the window of a speedy train, a young girl watches the scenery of quiet farms, dark tunnels, rolling fields, and a bright seacoast town, while she wonders aloud to her mother about what will happen next.

PreSchool-Grade 1?A rhyming text, similar in cadence to Bill Martin's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See (Holt, 1983), sets the tone for a ride on the rails. A little girl and her mother board the train in the city and travel through the countryside to the seaside town where the child's grandmother lives. The verse runs below the full-bled chalk-pastel illustrations and repeatedly asks, "What shall I see? What shall I see?" The turn of the page reveals a new panorama, the reply, and the refrain, "That's what I see, That's what I see." Soft-edged artwork, done in warm, sunny colors, is appealing in its simplicity, but lacks the sharp outlines and crispness that many young children appreciate.?Carole D. Fiore, State Library of Florida, Tallahassee
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3^-5. As a young girl travels through the countryside, she identifies all the exciting things she sees out of the train window. The text follows a predictable pattern: "What shall I see? What shall I see?" the girl inquires as the trains rounds every bend; "That's what I see, That's what I see," she cries as she identifies a gaggle of geese or a giant balloon. Children will easily fall into the text's rhythm, which simulates the gentle motion of the train. The feeling of movement is further enhanced by the placement of the text itself. The words appear at the bottom of the page in alternating yellow and green boxes shaped like railroad cars. Bright primary-color illustrations have a warm, folksy feeling that nicely complements the nai{‹}vete{‚} of the young girl and captures the charm and innocence of the adventure. Lauren Peterson