Jac's Top 5 Train Books

The Little Engine That Could Storybook Treasury
by Platt & Munk Publishers

This book was Jac's first favorite. As soon as he could walk he started bringing this book to everyone to read. It has 7 train stories in it, including the original Little Engine That could story. I think this is the book Jac learned all his letters and numbers from. One story goes on a trip finding things that start with every letter of the alphabet and ends with an alphabet train. The next story is a one through ten counting story. The last three stories are perfect for toddlers. They have simple one sentence pages, perfect for their attention spans, and plenty of opportunities for sound effects.

Whoo! Whoo! Goes the Train by Anne Rockwell and Vanessa van der Baan

This is a recent favorite of Jac's. He will read it over and over and over. Allan, in the book, is obsessed with trains, something Jac can identify with. The book does a great job building the excitement of Allan's first train ride, and puts in all the fun details.

Choo-Choo, Peek-a-Boo a Peek-a-Board book by Random House Publishing

This is a favorite with Jac and Julianne, my little toddler. They love the little peek-a-boo holes to look through, and poke their little fingers through. Sir Topham Hat needs to find his seven grandchildren, and they count them as they find them along the way. And of course this is Thomas the Tank Engine, what more needs to be said?


Catch Me, Catch Me! A Thomas the Tank Engine Story (Pictureback(R))
by Random House Publishing

The same publishing house and illustrator as the book above did this book, so they are doing something right for Jac. This is the book Jac picks out when he wants to read a story to his stuffed Thomas the Tank Engine. It limits the vocabulary to fifty words, and has a sheet in the back you can cut all the words out of for learning activities. Jac is starting to catch on to reading a bit more this way. We take the cut out words and talk about what they look like, and match them to the words in the book, and he is really starting to recognize them! (He is three years old) The story itself has very catchy rhymes, and a race that Thomas wins!

Thomas and Friends: Ride Along with Thomas (Thomas the Tank Engine)
, a Play-a-Sound book

Of course a favorite list of books for a three year old wouldn't be complete without a book you can push buttons for sound effects. Jac's favorite sounds are the little musical songs it plays when you hit the music note buttons. This book has a steering wheel that put you in the driver's seat, with a "horn" that peeps, and other fun sound effects. Thomas chugs all over, and meets all his favorite friends.