12/03/2010 - Trains

My son Abhay is four and as any preschooler who is a boy, he is obsessed with trains. Of course there is the all American fixation on Thomas & Friends!!! I wonder when he’ll grow out of it…..at any given point of time, we have over 2-3 Thomas books and 1-2 Thomas DVDs checked out from the library. Personally I don’t quite enjoy reading Thomas books but Im left with no choice but to read them to my son. So I have struck a deal with him , first I get to read to him a book of my choice and then he can have me read his favorite Thomas book.

Anyway, on the subject of trains, there are numerous books on trains that toddlers and preschoolers love.

I found one book particularly nice which is simply titled “I love Trains” by Philemon Sturges and illustrated by Shari Halpern. With bright illustrations, it is bound to hold the attention of toddlers and preschoolers alike. The verses are simple one liners that rhyme thereby encouraging phonological awareness and print motivation. The pictures shown are real imaginative and my son Abhay even incorporated some ideas into his toy train play.

A similar book that I found appropriate for ages 2-4 is “ Hey Mr Choo Choo, where are you going” by Susan Wickberg.

One more book “ Chugga Chugga Choo Choo” by Kevin Lewis is a rhyming story about what trains are meant for. Sometimes…I feel my son should have grown out of these kind of one liner picture books….but I guess when it comes to trains….no boy is too old for them!!!:-)

Another classic is of course “The Little Engine that could” by Watty Piper. It is a great tale about determination and perseverance that kids can learn from. It is about a little engine who is initially nervous about taking on what she perceives to be a formidable task of pulling the train over the mountain but later she braves all odds and succeeds with her mantra “ I think I can I think I can”. I remember reading in Time (May 10 2010 ) that the Leader of Opposition, Nancy Pelosi used to read this book to her children and she also felt that the same mentality has come in handy in Congress.

Anyway, I don’t believe every story has to have a message or a moral to it……..but when my son gets frustrated with some activity….it does help when I say….”what did the little engine say?” ….:-))!!