Review by Booklist Review
Ages 3-6. Brightly colored objects, outlined by ample black lines, illustrate this counting poem, first pub~lished in a collec~tion in 1988. In each rhymed verse, two contrasting items are connected by a sprightly refrain that gives the time by hour and minute: "Light on the ceiling, rug on the floor, train leaves the station at four-o-four." The draw~ings blend happily into the singsong cadence of the poem. Preschoolers will enthusiastically follow the toy train as it makes its way across the pages. After the first reading, they will want to "read along" and may even learn to tell time from the clock faces at the front of each engine. The last double-page spread lists numerals and items to count, and color~ful endpapers with leaping black cats against a bright blue background round out the volume. Chipper and cheerful, with just the right amount of nonsense. ~--Deborah Abbott
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Gottlieb, the author/illustrator of Big Dog and My Stories by Hildy Calpurnia Rose , has deftly turned the neat synchronization of Merriam's lilting counting rhyme into an artistic express run. Between the rolling cadences of this peripatetic choo-choo and the vigorous swaths of color left in its tracks, this picture book practically redefines locomotion. Complete with a clock face on its front end, this little engine that definitely can sets out at varying times of day, accompanied by a brief--and generally thematic--couplet: ``Light on the ceiling, rug on the floor, / train leaves the station at four-o-four.'' Up hill and down dale, the excursion is a dazzling one: Gottlieb's glossy, crisply defined images practically leap from the pages. His childlike illustrations somewhat call to mind those of Lucy Cousins, but have a joie de vivre all their own. While not the most comprehensive vehicle for counting or learning to tell time, this captivating train nonetheless takes youngsters on a true joy ride. Ages 2-5. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
Merriam's poem, previously published in the collection 'You Be Good and I'll Be Night' (Morrow), stands well on its own and is accompanied by Gottlieb's boldly colored, childlike drawings. The illustrations depict a toy train and other playthings as the counting rhyme goes from one to nine. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
