Hey! Get off Our Train

At bedtime a young boy takes a trip on his toy train and rescues several endangered animals.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- In a dream sequence, a boy and his canine companion board his toy train for a trip around the world. They interrupt their journey to get off the train and play, but when they return they discover that an uninvited elephant has come on board. The pair are indignant--until they learn of the elephant's plight: he has become an endangered species because of his tusks. In their travels, they in turn encounter a seal, a crane, a tiger, and a polar bear, each recounting the environmental hazards that threaten its survival. The animals are then welcomed aboard. In the final scene, when the boy's mother comes to wake him, she voices her suspicions about his nocturnal activity, for the house is now full of exotic animals. The book's message is loud and clear. While readers will be in complete sympathy with the philosophy espoused here, they may resent the book's heavy-handedness. The pen-and-ink/pastel sketches of the boy and the animals have an endearing innocence, and there is a Turner-like quality in the full-page illustrations that depict an old-fashioned, coal-powered locomotive bursting with power and energy as it clatters along. Good intentions, laudable as they may be, do not make a successful picture book. --Phyllis G. Sidorsky, National Cathedral School, Washington, DC
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Burningham's latest book is extremely clever in combining words and pictures that are equally innovative. A boy, playing with a toy train in his bedroom, is told by his mother to go to bed. He closes his eyes, and soon is hurtling through the countryside on his train, in the company of his stuffed dog, who has come to life. "Hey! Get off our train," they say to an elephant who climbs on board. The elephant explains that he is trying to escape from someone who wants to cut off his tusks, so they let him stay. The boy and the dog also give sanctuary to other endangered animals, including a seal, a crane, a tiger and a polar bear, as the train travels through different lands. Burningham uses color sparsely and effectively, and his artwork, which incorporates many styles, offers a different effect on almost every page. The story's important, timely message of protection for endangered species is delivered with just enough subtlety and delightful humor. The surprise ending is terrific. Ages 4-9.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.