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All Aboard! Passenger Trains Around the World, written/photographed by Karl Zimmermann, (Boyds Mills Press, 2006), 48p, Ages 10+.
For those who love the trill of train travel and those who should, this is a stunning pictorial adventure into the world of passenger trains. Children will discover how trains were developed, from the first horse-drawn trains in the 1830s to the comfortable and luxurious trains of today. Also presented are facts on various types of cars, the naming of trains, the ornate and simple depots, the history of Amtrak, and the great trains of Canada and Europe. How one travels makes all the difference in the world. It's also fun!

And the Train Goes . . ., written/illus. by William Bee, (Candlewick Press, 2007), 32p, Ages 3+.
Noises and sounds from a rumbling train and its passengers are highlighted along with the tickery-tock of the station clock, the ticket seller crying, "Hurry up! Hurry up! Any more tickets . . . ?", a fireman shoveling coal, and chickens clucking on the way to market while they drop eggs on a conveyor belt. Chittering and chattering ladies on their way to the races, children on a field trip asking "Please, sir, please ma'am . . . are we there yet?", and businessmen off to the city shouting that time is money, round out this busy and energetic book. Vivid colors and sounds of chuff-chuff, chufferty-chuff, puff-puff, pufferty-puff, clickerty-click, clickerty-clack, and woo-woooo, make this book marvelous for reading aloud.

Big Wheels, written/illus. by Anne Rockwell, (Walker & Co., 2006), 24p, Ages 3-6.
Digging, lifting, pushing, dumping, shoveling, and scraping, big wheels move the world-in this case, a pig world. Each machine's function is presented clearly and precisely for preschoolers to understand. The illustrations contain crisp colors and clear lines. Other books in Anne Rockwell's transportation series are "Boats" with bears, "Trucks" with cats, "Cars" with dogs, and "Planes" with rabbits.

The Goodnight Train,written by June Sobel, illus. by Laura Huliska-Beith, (Harcourt Children's Books., 2006), 32p, Ages 3-6.
After scrubbing up, children with their teddies and slippers, find a sleeping-car bed aboard The Goodnight Train. The train chugs up hills, rocks around corners, flies through tunnels, whizzes over bridges, and finally arrives at the Dreamland Station with the sleeping children. Soothing words and fun illustrations, including a sign that indicates, "Dreamland 20 winks ahead," make this great bedtime story.

Jingle the Brass, written by Patricia Newman, illus. by Michael Chesworth, (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004), 32p, Ages 4-8.
For children who love trains, this book is a must. Set in the day of steam locomotion, an engineer teaches a young boy railroad language describing the cars, freight, and people.

The Little Engine That Could, written by Watty Piper, Illus. by Loren Long, (Philomel Books, 2005), 48p, Ages 4+.
Newly re-illustrated, this wonderful classic tells the story of a happy Little Blue Engine who agrees to pull a stranded train full of toys over the mountain. Despite her size, she chugs up the mountain with, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can."

Monster Trucks!, written/illus. by Mark Todd, (Houghton Mifflin Co, $8.95 Board, 2005), 26p, Ages 1-4.
For preschoolers who love trucks, this board books is perfect. From the milk truck called Senor Moo, to the snowplow named Mr. Salty and the fire truck, Big Red, this board books is perfect for reading aloud.

My Little Yellow Taxi, written/illus. by Stephen T. Johnson, (Red Wagon Books, 2006), 14p, Ages 3-7.
Sixteen interactive features will delight young children as they sit in the driver's seat of a yellow taxi and fill the gas tank, check the oil, test the tires for air, put snacks into the glove compartment, insert a key into the ignition, put the gearshift into drive, adjust the rearview mirror, check the windshield wipers, turn on the taxi light and meter, and fasten a seatbelt. A clock on every page shows the minutes needed to make all these adjustments. Many fun parts and activities make this a great novelty book for eager young drivers.

Niccolini's Song, written by Chuck Wilcoxen, illus. by Mark Buehner, (Dutton Childlren's Books, 2004, Puffin Books, 2006), 40p, Ages 4+.
An extraordinary night watchman at the railroad yard lulls the engines to sleep by singing to them about "gentle hills, steady tailwinds, and feathers for freight". Some engines wake themselves up just to hear Niccolini's lullabies. Even mothers with restless babies enjoy the comforting songs. When a strong wind blows through town waking up all the children, Niccolini enlists the help of the engines by using their whistles to quiet everyone. "One by one, Niccolini thanked each of the locomotives. One by one, they said, 'You're welcome'".

Otis, written/illus. by Loren Long, (Philomel Books, 2009), 40p, Ages 3-6 yrs.
"There was once a friendly little tractor. His name was Otis, and every day Otis and his farmer worked together taking care of the farm they called home." After a hard day's work, Otis loved to unwind and ride the hills, chase the ducks, leapfrog over hay bales, sit under his favorite apple tree, and putt puff into his barn for a good night's sleep. Even Otis's soft putt puff puttedy chuff calms a new calf to the farm, and the two become best friends. Replace by a new yellow tractor Otis lives behind the barn alone. One day the calf becomes stuck in a mud pond, and no one can pull him to safety. Hearing her cries, Otis revs his engine and races down the hill to the rescue. "From that day on, the farmer discovered that with Otis's puttering purr beside the chicken coop, his chickens laid more eggs. At milking time, with Otis's gentle chuff nearby, his cows produced more milk." Now valued and productive, Otis still enjoys sitting under the apple tree with his best friend, calf.

This Rocket, written/illus. by Paul Collicutt, (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2005), 32p, Ages 3-6.
An impressive display of rockets and spacecraft are presented for young enthusiasts. From small rockets at a Fourth of July celebration to the space shuttle Columbia, information is given in simple text with endpapers that identify specific models and detail the Apollo space mission.

This Truck, written & illus. by Paul Collicutt, (Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2004), 32p, Ages 3-6.
Another great title in Collicutt's series about modes of transportation. Truck lovers will delight in everything from a simple pick up to the NASA Space Crawler. The endpapers feature labeled historic and modern trucks.

Truckery Rhymes, written by Jon Scieszka, illus. by David Shannon, Loren Long, David Gordon, (Simon & Schuster, 2009), 64p, Ages 3-8.
Mother Goose rhymes are the backbone of children's literature. When replaced with lively words to fit Trucktown's boisterous characters, the results are fun read-alouds for children. "Peter Peter Payload Eater/Hit a rock and blew his heater./He roared into the lake and fell./And there he cooled off very well." "Little Miss Muffet" changes to "Little Dan Dumper sat on his bumper,/Taking his break for the day./Along came Pete Loader,/who revved his loud motor,/And frightened Dan Dumper away." Twenty-two famous rhymes and songs will have children begging for more energetic, truckery interpretations.