African American Children Literature

(Crews, 1989)

Note: When a train races by on a track, how many different cars are there? And in how many colors? If you look at the back first, you'll find a bright red caboose. Ahead of it is an orange tank car. There's a green car carrying cattle, a purple boxcar with dry goods, and at the very front of the train, with churning wheels and a chimney smoking, is the mighty black steam engine.The train moves in a rainbow blur through tunnels, past cities, through day and through night, until it passes completely from view; its only remaining trace is a cloud of steam that it leaves behind, and its thunderous roar you can almost hear as it runs off into the distance.Named a Caldecott Honor Book in 1978, Donald Crews' book evokes the power and the movement of a passing freight train even for someone who has never had the opportunity to watch one go by. His simple, bold colors make as much noise the train cars they enhance. With its unstoppable movement and power, this Freight Train is sure to pull even the youngest imagination forward.