Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo. Emma Garcia. 2017. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Chugga chugga choo choo...here comes the train! Clickety clack on the track. Going to...the seaside. We can taste the ice cream.

Premise/plot: This train has four cars--all numbered. As the train goes from stop to stop or destination to destination, the train picks up passengers--BIRDS. I'm doing a poor job of saying this is both a COUNTING book and a TRAIN book. The book also follows a certain pattern or rhythm...making it predictable. Many books for this age group are predictable. It's a positive, not a negative!

My thoughts: I liked it well enough. I didn't love, love, love it. I would be curious to kid-test this one to see how well it works. I can't stress this enough: kids and adults experience picture books differently. And a book can wow adults and flop with the intended audience. Likewise, a book that bores or annoys or confuses adults can be a child's BEST BOOK EVER. I think this one has some potential in a shared reading experience. Parents--caregivers--can make it more interactive, ask questions, point out things, count together, do animal noises or other sound effects, add their own commentary, etc.

Text: 3 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 6 out of 10

© 2017 Becky Laney of Young Readers

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