A Train Journey

by Gérard Lo Monaco

Overview

Charming and picturesque, A Train Journey brings iconic trains to life in three-dimensional pop-ups!

In A Train Journey, readers will meet four iconic trains that changed the history of railroad. Each of the four picturesque pop-ups inside depicts a historic train—George Stephenson’s Rocket, one of the earliest steam locomotives; the Elevated Railway in Brooklyn; the Flying Scotsman; and the Japanese bullet train or Shinkansen—in its own environment. Gérard Lo Monaco’s charming illustrations lend spectacular depth and detail to this book that will delight children and train lovers alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500651827
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	11/10/2020
Pages:	8
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 7.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Gérard Lo Monaco is an Argentinian illustrator and paper engineer based in Paris. He has been art director at some of the most prestigious illustrated publishing houses, including Albin Michel and Hélium. His pop-up version of The Little Prince has sold over 900,000 copies. He is also the creator of Sea Voyage and A Train Journey.

Editorial Reviews

2020-09-29
Four multilevel tableaux celebrate highlights in the “journey” of locomotives from the early 19th century to today’s speedsters.

The uncredited narrative overviews in this French import have been placed on the back sides of each tableau, which gives the connected, accordion-folded pop-up scenes a cinematic feel. The design also allows viewers to take long, close looks at the engines, stations, and crowds of small, bustling figures (the last all White except for one commuter in the most recent setting) in period dress without distraction. The historical moments begin with a depiction of the Rainhill Trials of 1829, which George Stephenson’s ungainly Rocket won by being the only competitor to finish the course. They go on to elevated views of New York City’s first, steam-driven elevated trains (seen here posed in a smoky cityscape over streetcars and horse drawn carriages), Great Britain’s Flying Scotsman of the 1920s and ’30s, and finally a modern Japanese bullet train improbably pulled in next to France’s equally sleek TGV. There are no ribbon ties, as are often seen in books of this sort, but the volume can be opened for display in the round. And the notes make reference to technical innovations and experimental designs that didn’t make the artistic cut, which should serve as prompts to seek out more comprehensive 3-D galleries, like Robert Crowther’s Trains (2006).

Young trainiacs will happily climb aboard. (Informational novelty. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews