Trains

Adventure On The Go!

I loved Bizzy Bear Off We Go! ($6.99, Nosy Crow, ages 1 and up) by Benji Davies from the moment I picked it up and noticed that the yellow taxi cab on the cover moves! I pulled on the tab to reveal a green bus and motorcycle passing Bizzy Bear by as he embarks on his adventure by plane, train, and automobile.

Through a series of thick cardboard pages, Bizzy Bear hails a taxi, gets stuck in traffic, hops a train across the river, and catches his plane just in time to make it to the beach, where he goes for a sail on the ocean. Each new mode of transportation introduced offers a movable tab that slides to make the car, traffic, train, plane, or boat move in a creative way. I not only loved this interactive element to what is a cute and colorfully illustrated story, but I also found the narrative easy to read due to its careful rhyme scheme and rhythm. This book makes a perfect read-aloud and tactile activity to do with an infant or toddler. It’s the ideal vehicle for getting your child started on learning about various modes of transportation in a fun way.

Reviewer Karen B. Estrada has 9 years of experience as an English educator teaching students ranging from 6th grade to adult learners. She got her start teaching as a participant of the JET Program, during which she spent 3 years living and teaching in a rural Japanese town of 5000 people.  Since then, Karen has continued to teach English and Writing Skills at various levels in diverse settings such as Harlem, New York City, suburban New Jersey, and semi-rural Maryland. She holds a BA in English from Trinity University in San Antonio, TX and an MA in Teaching of English from Teachers College, Columbia University. Karen is currently taking a short break from teaching as she awaits the arrival of her first child due in late April.

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Making New Friends From a Hanukkah Mishap

Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap written by Deborah Bodin Cohen and illustrated by Shahar Kober ($17.95 hardcover, $7.95 paperback; Kar-Ben, ages 5-9) was reviewed by Ronna Mandel in the December issue of L.A. Parent.

Engineer Ari is trying to get from Jerusalem to Jaffa, Israel, to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah with friends Jessie and Nathaniel. He’s bringing dreidels, a hanukkiah, a bottle of oil, a bag of Turkish coins and some sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts; a glossary in the front of the book offers more handy definitions), and children he meets on the way to the station chat about the story behind the holiday.

On board the train Ari can almost taste Nathaniel’s potato latkes and hear Jessie singing the Hanukkah blessings, but he will have to wait. Coming around a bend, Ari spots a camel relaxing on the tracks and must make an emergency stop, causing his caboose to derail.

Kalil, a Bedouin with long robes and a shepherd’s staff, comes to help Ari remove the stubborn camel. As the sun sets and the two men wait in a desert tent for help to arrive, Ari misses the chance to celebrate Hanukkah’s first night with his old friends, but is blessed to share the Festival of Lights with a new one.

While there may be a mishap, it turns out that everything about Engineer Ari and the Hanukkah Mishap is just right!

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Get on Board with a Good Book on National Train Day May 8th

A Is for “All Aboard!” is one of those books both my son and daughter would have loved when they were younger and big-time into all things
T R A I N!! We had our turn with Thomas and Brio, even Lionel for a while, but there’s nothing like the real thing. I have to admit we are all tremendous train fans in our family. Having lived in both Frankfurt and London, we frequently travelled by train throughout the Continent and the U.K. taking the Eurostar and the I.C.E.  I was even hoping we’d get a chance on the TGV in France or better yet, the fabled Orient Express, but there’s still time.

516fonxryhl_sl500_aa300_Reading through this lively new book has brought all our exciting train journeys back to the fore and will definitely get youngsters eager to have an experience of their own. My husband still takes my son, Coleman, down to Union Station now and then and frankly I wonder if it’s really more for him than for Coleman!

Written by Paula Kluth, Ph.D. and Victoria Kluth, the  daughters of a Green Bay & Western Railroad worker, this ABC book  for train lovers is both educational and entertaining. When I delved a little deeper I also discovered the book was conceived with autistic children in mind, and the publisher’s Web site says the authors even incorporated feedback from children with autism. The bright bold artwork by Brad Littlejohn will capture kids’ attention and the information is sure to spark their imagination. The language used is clear and concise and many new concepts are introduced creating great learning opportunities.  I liked the teaching tips included at the end pages since ABC books are a great vehicle for engaging children and promoting literacy. At $16.95 this book is worth every penny.

The following is an example that is a particular favorite of mine. O is for Orient Express: The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance passenger train. The route has changed many times. Paris and Istanbul were its original end points.

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