'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Monday, 27 January 2020

Review: How Trains Work

Created in consultation with Anthony Coulls, Senior Curator of Rail Transport and Technology, National Railway Museum, UK, How Trains Work is exactly what the title says.

Amazing historical facts, interesting statistics and intricate illustrations will keep readers’ eyes searching each area of every page. 

Every time children (and adults) pick up this book they will discover something they missed the time before.

We get a total presentation on the who, what and how of rail transport beginning 400 years ago. Then, early carriages or wagons were horse-drawn and also pulled by people when narrow spaces were encountered in the mines, to bring coal to the surface. All this is depicted in detailed images.

Steam power, monorails, mass-transit trains, and suspension monorails from around the world are featured, along with streamlined trains created for speed which have reached 603kph.

Scenes of movement and progression fill the pages that fold out for an inside and out panoramic view of stations and their daily activity. Food courts, departure times, taxi ranks, bus pick-ups and all that you can imagine can be found in a train station.

Lift-the-flap sections allow a close look into the workings of cylinders, tracks, wheels, machinery, sleeping compartments and even toilets.

This is a book for train lovers and those interested in the history and evolution of trains around the world. It’s a volume of visual delight for children as they experience train travel and the whole package that comes with it. Vibrant coloured illustrations breathe life into the scenes as people and trains move from one page to the other.

It is large enough to spread on the floor, a table, or balance on two knees. This fantastic experience shows all moving parts, junctions, bridges and tunnels, freight trains, and Crazy Trains from around the world. I loved this book and I’ve shared it with a three year old twenty times. Examining it has become a daily ritual.

Title: How Trains Work
Author: Clive Gifford
Illustrator: James Gulliver Hancock
Publisher: Lonely Planet Kids , $24.99
Publication Date: October, 2019
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781788683272
For ages: 6 - 8
Type: Non Fiction