Mariesa Dulak and Rebecca Cobb have teamed up to bring us this brilliantly OTT tale about a train journey to the sea and the increasingly extraordinary animals that come along for the ride.
Now, this story may have a little sting in its tail for the adult reader. Dad misses out on most of the fun because his nose is buried in his phone the entire time – but I’m sure this subtle telling-off for the grown up will only make children love it all the more.
Especially when there is SO MUCH to love! And it all starts with a tiger in a top hat…
Mariesa Dulak’s flawless rhyme is a joy to read aloud and this creative story has a fantastic refrain that children can join in with. The jaunty rhythm of the text chugs along beautifully with the story, too.
Rebecca Cobb’s delightful illustrations capture the growing mayhem onboard until the train is bursting at the seams with pugs, piglets, crocodiles, teapots and chewy sweets (yum!) I especially loved the dainty hippos.
As a parent, I have often purchased books that ‘teach’ my children about kindness, dealing with emotions, being a good friend, sibling etc. It’s quite nice (for them!) to see the tables turned for once…in a way that is packed with fun and mayhem for little readers.
I’m definitely guilty of spending too much time on my phone so my own children delighted in pointing that out to me when we shared this story together.
So…get off your phones and get reading this brilliant picture book!
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