The Blueberry Train - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2?Used to being treated like a little boy, Louis is surprised when his mother allows him to take the train to the mountains to pick blueberries by himself. He wants to earn enough money to buy long pants in order to look grown-up. After a sleepless night, he is joined on the train by a lady and boy with covered faces. Once at his destination, he wanders off by himself and meets a baby bear and its ferocious mother. He is helped by the mysterious lady and boy, who turn out to be his own mother and brother. While Mother agrees he was very brave, she tells him that he will always be her baby. Thomas's illustrations capture the nostalgic feeling of turn-of-the-century Minnesota with soft colors, period dress, and detailed settings. The train is sleek and beautiful with clouds of smoke. The bear is realistically scary, but the faces of the main characters aren't entirely consistent from page to page. A pleasant story about bygone days showing the universality of a boy longing to be grown up and a mother who will always love her child even when he wears long pants.?Martha Gordon, formerly at South Salem Library, NY
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