The Last Train

by Gordon M. Titcomb, Wendell Minor (Illustrator)

Overview

A picture book about an old train station from a bygone era.

The golden age of the railroad may have passed, but its legacy still fascinates us. Based on a song by the acclaimed musician Gordon Titcomb, The Last Train is a beautiful celebration of that bygone era. Titcomb's lyrics are matched by Wendell Minor's handsome, richly-detailed paintings.

ALL ABOARD! "What a gorgeous tribute this is that preserves as it distills for future generations the life of a little railroad station."—Arlo Guthrie

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466818064
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	09/14/2010
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	45 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

GORDON TITCOMB is a composer and musician who has played with many well known artists including Arlo Guthrie, Hank Williams, Jr., Paul Simon, Emmylou Harris, Judy Collins, and Willie Nelson. THE LAST TRAIN is Gordon’s first book for children. Gordon lives in Winsted, CT. Visit him at gordontitcomb.com.

WENDELL MINOR is an award-winning illustrator of over forty picture books for children, including Buzz Aldrin’s LOOK TO THE STARS and AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. As a child he remembers visiting the Burlington Railroad roundhouse in his hometown of Aurora, IL, to watch the big steam engines come and go. Wendell now lives in Washington, CT. Visit him at minorart.com.

Editorial Reviews

Based on musician Titcomb's 2005 song, this stunning book both celebrates and eulogizes the golden era of railway travel. Minor's luminous, occasionally almost photographic, paintings portray the adult narrator as a boy, surrounded by a ghostly haze as he walks along the tracks….There's little doubt that railroad aficionados will pore over the crisply rendered railroad memorabilia.” —Starred, Publishers Weekly

“[The Last Train] is going to please every last train lover out there, and I'll be putting it in my Christmas shopping bag for more than one person this upcoming holiday season.” —Betsy Bird, New York Public Library

“A treasure for train enthusiasts.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The Last Train is going to please every last train lover out there….It mixes together both drama and nostalgia, but in a good way, in the ultimate train tribute.” —Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse #8 Production blog

From the Publisher

"Now the tracks that shone like silver, have turned to rusty brown. / Thirty years ago the last train rolled through town." Steam trains no longer whistle plaintively across America, but this rhythmic paean, based on the author's song of the same name, celebrates their memory. Lyrics that sound perfectly pleasurable when sung can come across a bit maudlin on paper: "Now the flattened copper pennies look like little metal tears / That a railroad cries before it disappears." (The illustration shows pennies, before and after, flattened on the rails.) Listening to the song beforehand markedly improves the reading of the book, especially lines such as "Ooooh... Midnight Flyer, / Hear that lonesome freight train whistle call." Minor's first, lovingly rendered, atmospheric gouache painting shows a modern-day, T-shirted boy gazing at a boarded-up railroad station in Aurora, Ill. Images of a cigar box full of train paraphernalia from two previous Titcomb generations offer more glimpses into the iron horse's glory days. A treasure for train enthusiasts, but make sure to take in the trailer on YouTube, too (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3caJkMjGLiw). (foreword by Arlo Guthrie, author's note, Web resources) (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews