Freight Train (book) explained

Pages:	24
Author:	Donald Crews
Publisher:	Greenwillow Books

Freight Train is a 24-page children's picture book written and illustrated by Donald Crews and published by Greenwillow Books in 1978. It lacks any story, but rather describes the inner workings of a large cargo train. It was named one of 1979's Caldecott Honor books.^[1] It has been included in such lists of top children's books as Anita Silvey's 100 Best Books for Children^[2] and a 2012 "Top Children's Picture Books" list by School Library Journal.^[3] In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, Barbara Bader described Freight Train as "a stellar example of the simple, assured work for younger children–conceptually interesting and visually exciting–that hasn't been taking top prize."^[4]

Derivative works

The popularity of this book led it to be completely remade in 2001 by Crews. The new edition, titled Inside Freight Train, features fold-out panels, revealing the insides of the various train carriages.^[5] The book has also been developed into a 2011 mobile app.^[6]

Notes and References

1. http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecotthonors/caldecottmedal "Caldecott Medal & Honor Books, 1938-Present"
2. [Anita Silvey]
3. Elizabeth Bird, "Top 100 Picture Books #42: Freight Train by Donald Crews", School Library Journal, May 29, 2012.
4. Book: Bader, Barbara . The Caldecott Spectrum . 292–293 . Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books 1976-1985 . Kingman . Lee . . . 1986 . 0-87675-004-8.
5. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-688-17087-5 " Inside Freight Train"
6. Katie Bircher, "Bells and whistles and steam, oh my!", The Horn Book, January 3, 2011. ("The simple, logical presentation of concepts that makes Freight Train so enduring works just as brilliantly here — with the added bonus of ringing bells and blowing whistles.")