May 7, 2011
May 7 is National Train Day, and in honor of the event, I’m re-posting this blog from Carol H. Rasco, CEO of Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., America’s oldest and largest nonprofit children’s and family literacy organization.
Seymour Simon’s Book of Trains is devoured by children interested in trains…children and youth of all ages. While it is advertised as written for ages 9-12, even pre-school youngsters love the big color pictures and some of us adults learned things about freight trains we had seen on the rails but never knew the details. From the earliest rail cars to the obsolete cabooses to electric subways to France’s TGV with speeds of between 200-300 mph, the details are here in words and photos.
It is a great book to use as the centerpiece for National Train Day as it reminds us:
Trains can carry
grain and gravel,
milk and machines,
cars and computers,
pipes and people.
Amtrak turned 40 years old on May 1 and there is a timeline which might be of interest to students on the National Train Day website with the Kids’ Corner featuring the cities where special children’s entertainment will be held on Train Day along with a downloadable Amtrak Kids’ Booklet, Kids Depot featuring games and even a section to learn to fold an origami train.
Carol H. Rasko writes often about the books related to current events. You can read her stories on the RASCO FROM RIF blog.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
