Chugga Chugga Choo-Choo

Kids love trains, and Kevin Lewis and illustrator Daniel Kirk's Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo will do nothing but encourage the obsession. "Sun's up! / Morning's here. / Up and at 'em, / engineer," cheerfully begins this rhyming picture book. As the simple large-lettered text chugs along, Daniel Kirk brings a child's playroom and train set to life with bold, bright illustrations reminiscent of his work in Bigger. In the course of the book, the toys bustle about to make sure the steam engine is loaded up with freight and finds its way (through the country, 'round the mountains, into tunnels, and across the river) to its destination--the city. There the "sleepy-sleepy choo-choo" rests, right next to a tired little boy, until the next day's work begins: "To theroundhouse/ you are bound. / Good night, engine, / safe and sound." (Baby to preschool)

Kevin Lewis's picture books are known for their boisterous boy appeal and irresistible sounds, which make them perfect for reading aloud. He and Daniel Kirk also collaborated on < EM> Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo < /EM> and < EM> My Truck Is Stuck!< /EM> Kevin lives in Brooklyn, New York.