A Ride in the Crummy

Hines, Gary; Hines, Anna Grossnickle

ISBN 10: 0688096921 ISBN 13: 9780688096922

Publisher: Greenwillow

Synopsis

Toby's grandfather conjures up a boyhood train journey, when he went to visit his father at a logging camp and got to ride in the caboose of the train

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Riding a "sleek, silver train," Toby is transported by Grandpa's story of another, long-ago train trip--a memorable journey on a steam-powered locomotive. In the author's first book, Grandpa is just a boy when he, his brother and mother accompany his father to a logging camp for the summer, and he is thrilled to sit in the aerie-like seats high up in the "crummy" ("what men on the railroad called a caboose because it was so dirty with soot and grime"), to listen to the "sneezing" of the engine ("Akachoo-kachoo-kachoo") and to tremble as the ground falls away when the train crosses a gap between the mountains, supported only by a "tall wooden trestle." Throughout, similarly precise language conjures up the sights, sounds and sensations of Grandpa's childhood travels. Watercolor illustrations--full-page pictures as well as borders for the text--are delicately, almost impressionistically composed and slightly muted in tone, as if emphasizing another aspect of Grandpa's reminiscences: the remoteness of the past. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal:

PreSchool-Grade 2-- Traveling together on a modern train, Grandpa tells Toby about the special trip he and his family took when he was a boy and rode in the crummy (caboose) of a steam train. The ride is lovingly described and even more beautifully illustrated. The attractive design features full-page watercolors on the right and text and a small painting in which one can trace the progress of the train on the left. The problem is that it is a fairly uneventful journey, and there isn't much excitement in reading about it. Grandpa does his best, putting in lots of sound effects, but his story often sounds like an easy-to-read primer: "We ate right on the train. It tasted good." It could be used well with other railroad stories such as George Ella Lyon's A Regular Rolling Noah (Bradbury, 1986). On its own, however, it is not likely to become a favorite. --Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow
• ISBN 10: 0688096921
• ISBN 13: 9780688096922
• Binding: Library Binding