ALL ABOARD!

Toddler whisperer/children's book creator Emma Garcia is back with another sure-fire hit in her new picture book, Chugga Chugga Choo Choo. Perfect for storytime as well as sharing individually, this bright and boldly illustrated book covers lots of concept territory--it's obviously a train book, first and foremost, but also includes numbers and animals. Though the text is appropriately brief for the toddler crowd, a story line takes shape between the multiple concepts being explored. As the train makes it's way from the seashore, through the forest, through the city, and past the farmyard, before it finally pulls into the station, picking up different numbers and types of birds along the way. 

A can't-miss book for young train enthusiasts and fan's of Garcia's other vehicle-laden titles, this book is also just the ticket for building multiple early literacy skills, including narrative skills, print awareness, and phonological awareness. Full steam ahead!

NOT YOUR AVERAGE TRAIN BOOK

I don't normally read train books or alphabet books, usually a quick glance through will suffice, but the cover art caught my eye. I noticed the power lines in the background are actually held up by letters. Very clever. I decided to take give it a more thorough look through and Alphabet Trains by Samantha R. Vamos and illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke is a delightful book filled with different types of trains from a to z. The main body of the book is written in short, single, informative sentences but the back two pages are a fount of information on the real trains that inspired this book. 

The author and illustrator have put together a great train and alphabet book that everyone will love to read. It certainly made me think about taking one of these train rides. Perhaps the next vacation will include a terrific train trip or a fabulous funicular field trip.

For ages 1 and up.