This Train

August 2, 1999
Trains in fiesta-bright hues zip through a picture book debut that uses the iron horse to demonstrate simple opposites and contrasts: "This train is in the country./ This train is in the city"; "This train carries passengers./ This train carries freight." The art is highly stylized, and its colors are souped-up: even the "old" train is a brilliant blue-green with orange cars trailing behind; the backgrounds also partake of the turbo-charged palette. The absence of humans and a tendency toward the generic--futuristic skyscrapers, trees that look as if they belong on an architect's model--counteract the art's more painterly features. But young train aficionados will appreciate the impression of speed and power Collicutt achieves, and they'll also enjoy the endpapers with their images of such trains as the Japanese Shin-Kansen, the Santa Fe Super Chief and the French TGV. Ages 2-7.