Toot toot! Come aboard the Alaska Train for a rollicking rhyming adventure with Alaska’s favorite animals! Five shiny train cars roll down the railroad track, picking up passengers along the way—a porcupine, grizzly bear, caribou, and more. Soon the cars are packed, but now the train must go up a tall mountain. Will the Alaska Train reach its destination? All Aboard the AlaskaTrain takes you on a rumbling journey as you zoom across the tracks and meet some of the state’s most famous animal residents. Included at the back is a glossary of the parts of a train, plus more information about the famous Alaska Train and a map of its route.
Brooke Hartman is an Alaskan mom and award-winning author of books for children. When she isn’t writing, you can find her flying, fishing, and having fun with her family, enjoying all the magic life has to offer.
Follow her writing adventures at BrookeAHartman.com, or on Instagram and Facebook @BrookesBooksAK.
I really enjoyed this book, so I was disappointed to find that it contains a factual error, as buffalo are not present in Alaska. While the terms buffalo and bison are commonly used interchangeably, they are different species. Buffalo are only found in Asia and Africa, and what we have in America is an American Bison. Due to this error, I find it frustrating because I really did enjoy this book. The story was fun to read, and the illustrations were well done. Since it contains the error, I would not recommend to others to stop this misconception that buffalo are in the United States to continue.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
ALL ABOARD THE ALASKA TRAIN is a cute and delightful picture book journey into Alaska. The story follows a train that travels from the South of Alaska to the North, seeing different animals along the way. The animals hop on board the train, and luckily, they are there to help when it gets stuck going up a steep mountain. The train finishes its journey with a look at the beautiful Northern Lights. The backmatter includes information about the actual train.
What I loved: This was such a cute and fun journey with a look at the different landscapes and animals in Alaska. The book manages to teach a bit about the state (and trains!) throughout an engaging story. The text is written with a good rhythm and some rhymes that make reading aloud and listening fun.
Colorful and varied illustrations give young readers a lot to visually explore on each page. The details and animals were really fantastic. A small hurdle provides a little tension, but teamwork saves the day. The font is very clear and easy to read throughout. This will work well for preschoolers and young elementary school aged readers.
What left me wanting more: As a very small thing, the rhyming scheme is somewhat inconsistent throughout the book, which can throw off the rhythm of reading a little bit. It was overall minor, so still very fun to read aloud and hear!
Final verdict: ALL ABOARD THE ALASKA TRAIN is an engaging and adorable journey through Alaska with fun illustrations and rhythmic text.
Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
I wish this book had been around when my kids were little! My son has always been a lover of trains, and the anticipation of the kids on the first spread is so relatable! The illustrations are magnificent. The family takes the train through forests and mountains across various Alaskan landscapes. This book increases knowledge of landscapes, animals, Alaskan wilderness, trains, and so much more! There are a ton of opportunities for vocabulary words. The book is written in prose but uses rhyming to help beginner readers. The animals are picked up one by one as they go on their adventure, children can interact with the book by inferring and using clues from the text to guess the next animal. Then, the train gets stuck and they persevere and work together to get the train moving again.
At the end of the book, there is a map of the train route, a section with more information about the Alaska Train, a glossary, and an illustrated diagram with parts of the train labelled. This could easily be adopted for a classroom lesson in multiple content areas.
Young readers will pester their parents or caregivers to book passage on one of these trains after riding the Alaska Train vicariously through this picture book. The digital illustrations showcase the train and its riders, of course, but also, the gasp-worthy beauty of Alaska and its animals, including otters, moose, and porcupines, among others. As the train moves along the track, the animals climb aboard, making for quite a collection of riders. The rhyming lines and use of onomatopoeia insure that this one is a delightful read--and ride. And it's a good thing that those animals joined the human passengers since the blue and gold train will need more than a little nudge from the rear to make it up the mountain that is part of the route. Back matter offers additional information about the train, including its different parts. Although I haven't taken this train, the text and artwork make it feel as though I have. Alaska is calling me, calling me, calling me.
This picture book has it all! Not only is there a train, a favorite vehicle among young readers/listeners, but the beauty of Alaskan animals, terrain and nighttime sky of this state is explored using rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia, alliteration and great expressive language. This is a mentor text for figurative language and vivid verbs along with being sheer fun to read. The illustrations are full page and detailed, providing opportunity for conversation and increased language development. Backmatter provides additional information about the actual Alaska train including a detailed diagram with parts defined. A must have for libraries serving ages 2-7.
A train, animals, and the sights and sounds of Alaska
A rhyming book to delight the ear with a “chugga-chugga, clickety-clack!.” Brooke Hartman’s ride on the Alaska Train (Railroad) takes the reader through the state's terrain and introduces the wildlife that inhabits the varied landscapes. Colorful and whimsical illustrations by John Joseph capture the imagination as the train moves down the railroad track.
The vivid and rhythmic language puts the reader on the train, feeling every bump and glide, hearing the sounds of nature, and discovering how working together gets things done. The informative backmatter shares the history and key parts of the Alaska Train. This book is sure to become a favorite for train and nature lovers.
"All Aboard the Alaska Train" is a delightful rhyming picture book that follows the journey of the Alaska Train as it heads towards Fairbanks. The book is filled with stunning illustrations that helped me and my kids easily identify the different places they visited. We were especially thrilled to see the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and our favorite animal, the buffalo. The book also provides a brief historical overview of the Alaska Railroad, including when it was established and why. Furthermore, there is a detailed illustration at the back of the book that points out the different parts of the train
super cute book, I'm going to recommend to my local library to stock and also my kid's elementary school.
This was a wonderful little ARC for us. My kids love animals and were so excited to learn all about the animals fromAlaska. I love how creative it was to follow this train through the wild to discover just a few of Alaska's animals and what Alaska looks like. We loved the rhyming text that was so easy flowing and fun to follow along. We follow as the train becomes full of new animal friends and then tries to climb the mountain. The colorful and bright illustrations add to the story and fit the mood of Alaska. We loved this book so much. I highly recommend it for use in Early Childhood and elementary classrooms as well. Enjoy this little adventure with your little ones.
The illustrations are bright and inviting, and the Alaskan animals are adorable. The repeated sound of the train keeps the reader moving through the book, and animals and humans working together to solve a problem brings the readers to a satisfying end. A few of the rhymes felt slightly labored and I'm not sure if I need to know why the animals are riding the train through their own habitat, but no explanation is given. However, it is a fun repeated story inviting reading aloud, with lots for little ones to look for and at.
Thank you to Net Galley for this beautifully illustrated and written e-copy of All Aboard the Alaska Train by Brooke Hartman. This rhyming book is perfect for early elementary students to read by themself or as a story time book for preschoolers.This book talks about the Alaska Train and how the children on board are introduced to different animals that live in Alaska.I did not know about the Alaska Train which is real but now have it on my bucket list..A great book with lots of information.Highly recommend.
The book All Aboard the Alaska Train was a fun read. The rhyming words will keep the attention of little listeners as well as being fun to read for older readers. It was filled with wonderful pictures to go along with the words. I will recommend this book to all my friends with children. I have never been to Alaska, but this made me start to think about planning a trip and riding this train someday. Thank you NetGalley, Brooke Hartman and Red Comet Press for the ARC All Aboard the Alaska Train. This is my personal review.
A wonderful and accurate trip aboard the Alaska train that will delight every child. Our group of 5-7 yr olds read the book just before they took the train and it enriched their experience immensely. Eaach child took turns reading the book again and talking about their favorite part of the trip. We received some very enthusiastic feedback while reading and now everyone wants their own copy so they can read by themselves and to their friends. When children volunteer to read, it's a wonderful recommendation for the book.
This is the perfect book to use to learn about the scenery and wildlife in Alaska! Kids will love it! ❤
Here's what I loved.... 🚆The rhymes will keep kids guessing which animal they will see next. 🚆 The artwork is phenomenal! 🚆 The information in the back will help kids learn more about the Alaska Train and parts of the train.
📢Releases on March 5, 2024! You can preorder now!
Thank you to Red Comet Press @redcometpressbooks and @NetGalley for the gifted eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Okay, one reason I asked for this is because I want to ride this train, and I appreciate the information about how you can ride it. The rhymes are cute, the pictures are adorable, and everyone in the story has a great time. However, I'm not sure I want kids to think that if the train approaches a hill, everyone will need to get out and push. That could be my phobia talking. Still, it was fun, and I thank NetGalley for letting me read this
As an Alaskan who has ridden the Alaskan train, known here as the Alaskan Railroad, I found this book a delight. Now, true, I feel the need to remind people that critters really don't join with passengers on trains since, well, as soon as they learn I live here, I've been asked several times by tourists "Can I pet the moose?" or "When do they turn on the Northern Lights?" and such. Which, reminds me, lovely illustration of the Lights in this book. "Aaaah and Oooooh" is definitely the perfect description.
John Joseph's illustrations are a lovely touch, cute and humorous while capturing the essence of that page's focus. They're colorful and relatively realistic, I might note, in a cartoon-style manner. Brooke Hartman's mom was a tour guide on the train according to the info page, so it's obvious she comes by her interest and respect for the train journey naturally. The lyrical text is fun as it introduces the various animals and sights. It flows. (Yes, I read it aloud to the dog.) Each is introduced with the repetitive line "Chugga-chugga, clickety clack," helping children hearing the story mentally switch gears each time. Make sure you take some time to fully look at each illustration, too, as there are some neat little things to be appreciated. Definitely allow time at the end to look at the arrival at the Fairbanks station drawing. The moose on roller skates is just one of the amusing things you'll find.
Obviously, I fully enjoyed the book and may be adding it to my own guest room's Alaska Shelf. That's where I shelve books my non-Alaskan guests may find interesting. They'll appreciate the end material, too, which offers up a bit about the railroad's history and, say, use of blue and gold colors. There's also an illustrated guide to the various parts of a train, a fun add. Thanks #NetGalley and #RedCometPress for giving me this sneak peek. I especially like the use of the train climbing the mountain, seemingly to the sky, on the thank you page. Good use of the theme throughout.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own
I truly enjoyed learning about the Alaska train. The illustrations are just as fantastic as the fun writing. Together, they make the perfect book combo.
The back of the book introduces us to train part vocabulary and the real Alaska Train route. Educational, fun rhymes, and colorful images are a recipe for fun.
This book has a fun topic, with beautiful pictures and descriptions of the Alaskan landscape. I also, as a mom of littles, appreciate the repetitive phrasing that would allow my littles to learn and join in during the reading.
But it really bothers me that the author used the word 'ding' as a rhyme with 'train'. It adds a layer of difficulty to reading it aloud.
I loved this book taking the reader along for an adventure on the Alaska train! The repetition was excellent and illustrations well done. This is a great way to introduce Alaskan wildlife to young children, especially to children who already love trains.
Thank you NetGalley and Red Comet Press for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Here's a cute rhyming tale about a memorable train ride through the Alaskan wilderness. I found it a little confusing as it mostly seems to be about native wildlife, though the book ends with a detailed look at the train itself. No matter. Kids will love the illustrations, and it would make for a fun read aloud.
Thanks to Red Comet Press and NetGalley for the read.
All Aboard the Alaska Train is a fantastic little read! The artwork is beautiful. I loved learning about the animals that I didn't know lived in Alaska like otters! Also didn't know The Alaska Train was an actual thing. (Obviously, my knowledge of the state is very limited, but I've always found it fascinating.) Would love to ride the gorgeous blue and gold train someday.
A stunningly illustrated picture book highlighting the Alaskan wilderness. Reader's will hop aboard this rhyming picture book and learn about different animals and sights native to Alaska. This book would appeal to young readers who enjoy animals, trains, and sing-songy text. I will be using this for my storytime with pre-school aged children.
This fun, repetitive and rhyming book takes the reader on a train ride throughout Alaska, introducing you to some of it's local wildlife. Great book for young readers filled with colorful illustrations and informational text in the back of the book about the real Alaska train and the different train parts.
Really enjoyed this story of a train ride through Alaska and animals met along the way. Engaging and being pictures with additional train information at the end!
Thanks Net Galley for the temporary ARC to review.
This fun picture book takes readers along the Alaska Train to see all kinds of animals and sights. It made me want to take this train as soon as possible! I really enjoyed the art and the rhyming aspects.
(Thanks to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
I loved learning about the Alaska train... after the book was over. The book itself was a poor attempt to teach kids through complete fiction. The author should have actually made it somewhat realistic, and the book would have been a lot more exciting.
*I received this book as a DRC. This is 100% without a doubt the best children's book to have ever been written about Alaska. Written by an author from Alaska whose mom worked/ has worked on the train there, this book is absolutely stunning to behold, and the rhymes are great too.
This was a great rhyming and sing song voice with lots of wonderful Alaskan animals for young children. This one will be a repeat asked for by my kid for a long while.