There are SO MANY great picture books about trains! I had a blast going through a large pile from the library. Here are my FAVORITE picks. Old and New.
Choo Choo!
TWO LITTLE TRAINS by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon. Published by HarperCollins.
I have LOVED this one for YEARS. The illustrations mirror the text in a brilliant way and the words feel like the rhythm of a train as you read along.
CHUGGA-CHUGGA CHOO-CHOO by Kevin Lewis, illustrated by Daniel Kirk. Published by Disney-Hyperion.
Great rhymes. Simple. Really fun to read aloud. Quintessential train book. Great for bedtime.
TERRIFIC TRAINS by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Ant Parker. Published by Amazing Machines
This is another fun read-aloud. Trains, parts of trains, and what they do.
SNAKES ON A TRAIN by Kathryn Dennis. Published by Feiwel and Friends.
This is my daughter’s FAVORITE because the snakes are SUPER adorable. There is a cute read-aloud of this book by the author on YouTube if you would like to check it out. Speaking of the author, Kathryn Dennis, she has created other Snake books in this fun series for kids.
STEAM TRAIN, DREAM TRAIN by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld. Published by Chronicle Books
Have you read Good Night, Good Night Construction Site? This book is by the same author. I just LOVE her ability to tell a story with fun details and beautiful rhyme. With cute animals, this book teaches about the different types of cars on a train.
SLEEP TRAIN by Jonathan London & Lauren Eldridge. Published by Viking Press
If you are wanting a perfect bedtime train book, this is it. The words are soothing as they rhythmically count the cars going down the track. One thing that always stands out to me in this book is the lovely illustrated sky that gets darker as the book moves along.
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR TRAIN by Jason Carter Eaton & John Rocco. Published by Candlewick Press
Haha. This is a funny one and oh so clever. It is a guidebook on how to obtain a train as a pet and how to take care of it.
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD by Watty Piper, illustrated by Loren Long
I don’t think I need to say anything about this one. If you haven’t read it yet, just buy it. Hahaha. I already have three extra copies set aside to send with my girls when they move out because I think it is an essential message.
SHARK VS TRAIN by Christ Barton, Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
This is another humorous train book. It held the honor of being my oldest daughter’s favorite picture book for years. It is about a boy who is playing with his toy shark and train and putting them up to all kinds of crazy challenges to see who would win.
Happy Train Reading!
Choo Choo!
Jamie
