The Goodnight Train

September 4, 2006
Huliska-Beith's (The Book of Bad Ideas) giddy, cartoon-like acrylics blow some dust off a chestnut of a conceit: falling asleep is like taking a magical train ride. The sun has gone down, so it's time for the Goodnight Train to head for Dreamland. "Find your sleepers! Grab your teddy./ Climb right up! Your bed is ready!" More workmanlike rhymes chronicle the train picking up speed, hugging curves, then settling into a rhythm so lulling ("Cars sway on the wooden track./ Wheels go click. Wheels go clack") that even the engine is snoring by the time it reaches its destination. But while the words may slide by, readers will want to linger over the spreads (rendered in night-evoking hues of cornflower blue, purple and turquoise) and pick out the visual jokes and details that have become the artist's trademark. Among the silly sights: a squirrel raids his tree fridge, and a mermaid perches on a rock, applying night cream. Some grownups may cluck that the pictures have too much get-up-and-go to make the book truly soporific, and it's certainly true that the fictional passengers spend many of the pages gleefully bouncing about. But most will agree that the images positively brim with good-natured fun. Ages 3-7.

October 1, 2006
PreS-KThis bedtime story is likely to strike a chord with young listeners. A gentle, rhyming text intersperses train noises with a getting-ready-for-bed routine with a railroad-inspired theme. Brightly colored cartoon illustrations picture children in their beds being pulled along by the engine. They ride through tunnels, over bridges, and past fields of sheep. The words flow fairly well, with only a few minor skips, and the sounds mixed with bedtime sounds (Rock-a, rock-a, rock-a, rock-aShhhhhhhhhhh! Shhhhhhhhhhh!) will delight youngsters and have them chiming in. The acrylic-and-collage artwork curves around the spreads and encourages page turns. Clever backgrounds, including a sign that declares, Dreamland 20 winks ahead, ensure that there is plenty to look at, and the journey ends effectively with the children asleep and the words, Good night, train./Good night. Libraries in need of more train or bedtime books will find this a useful and enjoyable addition."Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 23, 2006
Huliska-Beith's (The Book of Bad Ideas) giddy, cartoon-like acrylics blow some dust off a chestnut of a conceit: falling asleep is like taking a magical train ride. The sun has gone down, so it's time for the Goodnight Train to head for Dreamland. "Find your sleepers! Grab your teddy./ Climb right up! Your bed is ready!" More workmanlike rhymes chronicle the train picking up speed, hugging curves, then settling into a rhythm so lulling ("Cars sway on the wooden track./ Wheels go click. Wheels go clack") that even the engine is snoring by the time it reaches its destination. But while the words may slide by, readers will want to linger over the spreads (rendered in night-evoking hues of cornflower blue, purple and turquoise) and pick out the visual jokes and details that have become the artist's trademark. Among the silly sights: a squirrel raids his tree fridge, and a mermaid perches on a rock, applying night cream. Some grownups may cluck that the pictures have too much get-up-and-go to make the book truly soporific, and it's certainly true that the fictional passengers spend many of the pages gleefully bouncing about. But most will agree that the images positively brim with good-natured fun. Ages 3-7.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.