Locomotive Capa dura - 2013

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Talk about a youth librarianâÈçs dream come true: a big new book about those ever-popular trains from a bona fide picture-book-nonfiction all-star. Striking cinematic endpapers lay the groundwork, describing the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860s. Then, in a sort of historical-fiction-meets-travelogue narrative, Floca zeroes in on one familyâÈçs journey from Omaha to San Francisco. Floca excels at juxtaposing sweeping panoramas with intimate, slice-of-life moments: here a widescreen shot of the train chugging across the Great Plains; later a vignette at a âÈêdollar for dinnerâÈë hash house (âÈêIf the chicken tastes like prairie dog, donâÈçt ask why,âÈë cautions the narrator). Varied font sizes and styles on the large pages beautifully capture the onomatopoeia (âÈêHisssssssssâÈë; âÈêhuff huff huffâÈë; âÈêchug-chug chug-chug chug-chugâÈë) of the train and the feel of the Old West. One spread finds the train precariously crossing a trestle (âÈêThe train is so heavy, the bridge is so narrow, and rickety rickety rickety!âÈë); the concluding ricketys are displayed in an appropriately jarring shadowed font alongside a picture of passengers shakingâÈ'and prayingâÈ'in their seats. Luckily, our family makes it safely to its destination: âÈêthe countryâÈçs far corners have been pulled togetherâÈöthanks to the locomotive.âÈë An authorâÈçs note and thorough discussion of the sources used are included, and donâÈçt miss the back endpapersâÈ'the steam power diagram would make David Macaulay proud."