The Little Red Train Book

When the three big trains refuse to go up the mountain in the deep snow, the Little Red Train finds brave helpers and goes on a rescue mission to take food to the stranded ...

School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-These book/cassette sets, part of a series written and narrated by Carl Sommer, are designed to teach children basic character education lessons. Each book is devoted to conveying a particular set of values. Overall, the stories are didactic and contrived. I Am a Lion relates the story of a young lion, Sangu, who fails to listen to his parents and learn survival skills. When a rhino injures his mother, Sangu runs away and gets lost. He is unable to find his way home and regrets that he didn't listen to his mother. When Sangu is taken in by a group of kindly gazelles, he just doesn't fit in, yet he doesn't know what a lion should be. He dislikes eating grass and is chastised for climbing trees. Finally he is reunited with his parents who explain, "Gazelles don't know anything about lions....That's why you should listen to us." Young children will recognize a storyline similar to Disney's The Lion King, but Greg Budwine's cartoon illustrations are soft and bland and the text is prosaic. In another recognizable story, The Little Red Train, three big trains refuse to go up the mountain in the deep snow. The Little Red Train finds brave helpers and goes on a rescue mission to take food to the stranded villagers. The Little Red Train puffs his way up the mountain with a song about trying. Sheet music for the song is provided at the end of the story. Kennon James's illustrations are lackluster. Youngsters would be better served by Piper's classic train story that encourages perseverance, The Little Engine That Could. Each story is told with page-turn signals that feature a chiming sound. Both productions feature adequate narration, sound effects, and background music, and conclude with a song.-Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, King County Library System, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.