Like the Two Little Trains of the story, this story chugs along, building steam until you get to the end. It is here, it fizzles out. It just ends. There was nothing in between just watching the two trains go along the tracks. There is great potential for something to happen, but nothing does. Now, I am not looking for a train crash, but maybe a race where they tie. Or maybe people talking about how much fun they are having. Or maybe there are cows that wave to them. Just something. I guess, I just expected more out of Margaret Wise Brown. It strikes me as a book written just because she could and it could get published just because she is Margaret Wise Brown.
Greg Pizzoli’s illustrations can be awkward at times, abstract almost in places. The colors are solid, but almost muted at times. The classic feeling of when this was originally published is still there. This is a classic book through and through There is nothing really modern about it at all. This makes me less excited about reading it at second time knowing there is nothing there but basic colors and basic art.
This is for the adult fans of Brown and maybe a child who likes to make sounds because you can make the train sounds. Perhaps this would be a great board book (lap sized) for the younger child who wants a soft bedtime story that has a couple trains in it. I do not see contemporary kids “getting into it” as much as adults who grew up on it/on Brown’s works. While not for everyone, there is an audience for it. I am not it. If you are, please let me know. Would love to know others feelings on it. (Due early March 2020).