The Last Train
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
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
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"If you close your eyes and listen,/ you can almost hear the sound/ Of those big iron horses/ rolling into town." 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. Without the upbeat strings and tempo of Titcomb's song, his words take on a wistful tone: "My Granddad was a railroad man,/ he drove the trains around,/ My Daddy, he sold tickets/ till they closed the station down." Whether young readers will respond to the elegiac quality of the verse, there's little doubt that railroad aficionados will pore over the crisply rendered railroad memorabilia stamps, posters, photographs, a ticket punch and the gleaming images of the locomotives themselves. Effectively evoking the sounds and rhythms of train travel, the lyrics call to mind Steve Goodman's 1970 song "City of New Orleans," recorded famously by Arlo Guthrie, who contributes a foreword to this affectionate and nostalgic tribute. Ages 3 8.
Customer Reviews
Excellent. Grand Parents live near the Pennslyvania Line that ran through Gary, Ind. in the 50’s. I
I can still remember the sound of the Whistle and feel the apartment building move as the freight rumbled by.