A little dog (standing in for a child) shares its enthusiasm and expertise on the subject of trains. “I like playing with my train. / I like putting all the animals on board so they can go on a journey.” We see the dog engaged in different sorts of imaginary play with trains (including playing inside a box that serves as a train car the dog can ride in), and then listing all the different kinds of trains it likes to read about: long trains, short trains, trains with faces, fast trains, slow trains. Best of all is a taking a train trip to Grandma’s house, where the little dog tells Grandma all about the ride, draws her a picture of a train, and goes to a park with a small train kids can play in. The dog’s wonderful grandma gets down on the ground and plays train, too. “I love playing trains with Grandma,” the dog concludes. Primary colors predominate in the painted illustrations, which are accompanied by a large, clear typeface that could almost be read from across the room. The front end pages show the dog assembling long, winding train tracks, and the back end pages show the same tracks, now fully assembled, with the dog running its train across them. (Ages 1-3)

Daisy Hirst’s charming ode to a toddler’s love of trains, featuring her sweet signature artwork

Whether sending toy animals on a journey around a model track or driving a cardboard-box locomotive, this little puppy really likes trains. All aboard! But best of all is riding a real train to visit someone special—and playing with more trains there! Simple yet evocative prose and pictures make this a delightful read for the youngest train enthusiasts.