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Down by the Station
Down by the depot, early in the morning
See the yellow school buses all in a row
See the school bus driver warming up the engine
Vroom vroom beep beep! Off we go!
Little fans of trucks and trains and boats and planes will love to sing this action-packed, expanded version of the classic rhyme, paired with Frank Remkiewicz's happy, vibrant illustrations.Reviews"Vetter's debut adds new verses to the familiar favorite. Children who love things that go will be thrilled with the vehicles included here: school bus, tractor-trailer, excavator, jumbo jet, sailboat, racecar, fire engine and rocket. The ending is a good segue to bedtime, as the train returns to the station and several sleepyheads head to bed."--Kirkus Reviews
See the yellow school buses all in a row
See the school bus driver warming up the engine
Vroom vroom beep beep! Off we go!
Little fans of trucks and trains and boats and planes will love to sing this action-packed, expanded version of the classic rhyme, paired with Frank Remkiewicz's happy, vibrant illustrations.Reviews"Vetter's debut adds new verses to the familiar favorite. Children who love things that go will be thrilled with the vehicles included here: school bus, tractor-trailer, excavator, jumbo jet, sailboat, racecar, fire engine and rocket. The ending is a good segue to bedtime, as the train returns to the station and several sleepyheads head to bed."--Kirkus Reviews
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
May 10, 2016
A new favorite of my one-year-old grandson, who already loves anything that goes, goes, goes... especially when the words to the story can be sung to a tune. His favorite by far is the rocket ship blasting off.
October 7, 2010
This story is based around the children’s song “Down by the station”. It has pictures to go along with the lyrics. It goes through different transportation vehicles. Trains, buses, ships, planes, rocket ships, trucks, race cars and many more. This book is fun to sing along with while looking at the pictures.
The pictures are bright and colourful and full of vehicles that young children will recognize.
The pictures are bright and colourful and full of vehicles that young children will recognize.
March 11, 2020
So far, this is my favorite "down by the station" book, and since I like the song, that means I like this book quite well. The sound words are fun and fit the rhythm of the song well, and I like the variety of means of transportation included - quite a few but not an exhaustive (as in, I'm exhausted trying to sing them all) list. The illustrations are bright and colorful and I also appreciated the gender-neutral language used in this version of the song.
February 26, 2021
The children will love this book since they will all love the different modes of transportation and the different noises they make. The book can be read or it can be sung which will help the children learn the story and keep them engaged.
October 27, 2022
Super fun read aloud for tiny humans. I actually read it as a sing along and students echo back each line. It's always one of their favorites. The different variations keep them engaged for the entire book, even though there are so many!
November 10, 2017
This book, in theory, could work for storytime. There's a lot of opportunity for interaction from the kids. I just found this book to be incredibly boring, so I most likely won't use it.
September 28, 2018
This is the one I was looking for for a program! Don't know why it took me so long to find it, haha, but I'm glad I did! Very good for "Things That Go" storytime
December 26, 2018
Singing through some transportations. B
September 15, 2019
Read at A Day Out With Thomas outreach event - 9/15/2019
November 20, 2019
Great book can be use to show how to work together as a team.
May 22, 2022
I don't know, friends. The art seems incredibly goofy to me but Nana had to read this about ten million times on a two week visit, so what do I know?
January 4, 2023
A wonderful new rendition of an old classic! With a focus on multiple types of transportation that kids love, this one is sure to be a storytime hit. Highly recommended.
August 31, 2011
We didn't read the whole book at storytime because it was the last book and the kids were starting to get antsy. But I liked what we did see. It goes through various vehicles (trains, trucks, etc.) and the actions that people do to "make them go" complete with sound effects. My son is, like most boys, a lover of cars, trucks, and anything else that moves so this was a good book for him. The illustrations were colorful and eye-catching.
I guess "down by the station" is an old children's song, so our librarian read the words to that tune and the music added something nice to our storytime. But I could not get over the fact that the only time I have *ever* heard that song was a... more adult version. Where the refrain about the train station is interspersed with lyrics about a guy who picks up several different women at the station until the last one breaks up with him because she realizes he's unfaithful. Neither here nor there, but it definitely affected *my* experience with the book! I had no idea that there was an innocent little children's song about trains before it got re-made!
I guess "down by the station" is an old children's song, so our librarian read the words to that tune and the music added something nice to our storytime. But I could not get over the fact that the only time I have *ever* heard that song was a... more adult version. Where the refrain about the train station is interspersed with lyrics about a guy who picks up several different women at the station until the last one breaks up with him because she realizes he's unfaithful. Neither here nor there, but it definitely affected *my* experience with the book! I had no idea that there was an innocent little children's song about trains before it got re-made!
January 4, 2010
Not my favorite version of this book, but still a good one.
Sing the classic down by the station song and add the bus depot, the truck stop, the work site, the airport, the water (the dock actually), the racetrack, the firehouse, the launchpad, and back to the station in the evening....
Each location is manned by a different animal parent and child team performing the appropriate task..pulling the lever, warming the engine, pulling the air horn, digging with the bucket, pushing the throttle forward, pulling up the mainsail, revving up the engine, turning on the siren, starting the countdown, and returning to the station under the moon with a sleepy little one.
This version makes a good bedtime story.
Sing the classic down by the station song and add the bus depot, the truck stop, the work site, the airport, the water (the dock actually), the racetrack, the firehouse, the launchpad, and back to the station in the evening....
Each location is manned by a different animal parent and child team performing the appropriate task..pulling the lever, warming the engine, pulling the air horn, digging with the bucket, pushing the throttle forward, pulling up the mainsail, revving up the engine, turning on the siren, starting the countdown, and returning to the station under the moon with a sleepy little one.
This version makes a good bedtime story.
June 29, 2009
I was doing my special series for 18-24 month olds and the subject was "things that go". I went out to the stacks to get a copy of My Car, and every copy was either checked out or so torn it needed to be withdrawn and replaced.
So I pulled this book from my new book pile in the back and it was a big hit.
All the verses sing perfectly to the "down by the station" tune, you've got vehicles from trucks to work machines to a space ship, and the sound effects are great.
In other words, this was a hit even with the wiggly toddler crowd. And I've just ordered a copy for my "reading room"
So I pulled this book from my new book pile in the back and it was a big hit.
All the verses sing perfectly to the "down by the station" tune, you've got vehicles from trucks to work machines to a space ship, and the sound effects are great.
In other words, this was a hit even with the wiggly toddler crowd. And I've just ordered a copy for my "reading room"
August 15, 2011
In this book the trains worked. In this book the school buses worked. In this book the trucks worked. In this book the excavators did work. In this book planes did work. In this book sailboats worked. In this book race cars did races. In this book fire trucks went to work. In this book space shuttles went into outer space. In this book the trains, the school buses, the trucks, the excavators, the planes, the sail boats, the race cars, the fire trucks, the spaces shuttles all went back home at the end of the day. -by Felicity<-/i>
September 20, 2010
The day begins “down by the station” with a “puff, puff, toot, toot” and takes the reader all about town. There are many forms of transportation introduced throughout the book that all entail sounds children will undoubtedly love to make. The day ends back at the station where the engine will stay and rest. The illustrations are bright, colorful and inviting especially to a younger group of children such as toddlers.
December 12, 2010
This book was really colorful and bright and I think would be very useful in a preschool or kindergarten classroom. A combination of bright colors, fun animals and a repeated pattern in the rhythm of the words would draw young children and allow them to really enjoy the story. Even though it was an easy read I (as an adult) really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to teachers in younger grades.
July 27, 2012
My daughter loves this book. I just brought it home from the library and we have to read (or rather, sing) "choo choo book" two or three times before bed every night and sometimes before naps. I usually sing through once or twice and then we name the animals, find the chicken and worm and sun on every page, talk about the different vehicles, etc. There is a lot to look at, and each verse fits the tune perfectly.
August 6, 2016
Doing a story time or study unit on TRANSPORTATION? Or do you have a little one with an insatiable appetite for modes of transport? Get your hands on this twist on the traditional song! There are verses for trains, buses, tractor trailers, giant excavators, jumbo jets, bobbing sailboats, speedy race cars, shiny fire engines, and solid rocket boosters. Very fun to perform!
May 17, 2009
I am somewhat biased by my admiration of the illustrator and his work...however; as the text goes, this is a fun alternate version to the usual lyrics. This text includes a school bus depot and the launch pad of a rocket ship. Will be doable for Boogie Woogie.
July 15, 2010
Our children like the Wee Sing version of this song and enjoyed the alternate verses with different modes of transportation, busses, trucks, excavators, airplanes, boats, race cars, fire trucks, and rockets. The brightly colored illustrations add to the fun.
November 5, 2010
This illustrated version of the traditional song expands and describes more vehicles, different locations, and their unique sounds, from puffer-billies to racecars and rockets. I enjoyed the easy to follow story and fun rhyming text. I also really liked the illustrations.
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February 22, 2011This is a cute book with a sing-song flow that is easy for kids to read. I like this book because it introduces many forms of transportation, bus, train, plain, boat, tractor trailer, etc. I would use this as a read aloud book in a Pre-K or K class then put it in the classroom library.
February 5, 2015
I just read this book for the seventh time this evening. My son knows it by heart and so now I can't skip ahead. He catches me everytime. This is a great little story for all those little train lovers!
February 12, 2014
This book would be super fun to read to children because you can get really animated. There are lots of noises that you could make. One picture flips the book the other way which makes it more interesting. The book is short, simple, bright, and simple. Great for preschoolers.
June 3, 2014
This cute variant with verses for different forms of transportation is a steady favorite in our house, so far for ages 3 to 5, with a truck-mad boy. Unfortunately, it does really need to be sung, so I leave the 'reading' of this one to Daddy, who can carry a tune in a bucket, unlike me.
October 22, 2015
Down by the Stations has delightful pictures and good rhythm based on a familiar children's rhyme. It uses the cadence to show children many modes of transportation that people use and is a favorite of my preschool class.
April 22, 2009
Familiar rhyme that uses many forms of transportation, not just trains.
June 2, 2009
Cute book with great read-aloud potential, especially for a unit on transportation. Good sound effects that the kids can make for each vehicle, from a plane to a school bus.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews