Clackety Track: Poems about Trains

K-Gr 2—Brown has created poems that mimic and complement many different kinds of trains including freight trains, bullet trains, zoo trains, steam engines, underground trains, and more. "Shoulder Ballast Cleaner" fills the page; the words are curved and spread all over the vehicle. The sleeper train poem includes repetition to give readers the feeling of going to sleep; the repetition in "The Underground Train" emphasizes the train's underground journey and purpose. Not all of the poems rhyme, but each piece reflects the trains' characteristics with their words, use of space, and design. Illustrator Christoph has created a beautiful homage to the world of trains with bright colors and bold double-page images. The steam engine fills the page while the bullet train looks like it is speeding out of sight. A spread of train facts, cleverly written upon the train cars, completes this wild ride.