The Little Engine That Could

Rating:
Summary: Where's the rest of the story?
Review: This will teach me not to read the reviews carefully before purchase. This is a very abridged version of the classic story: the bright shiny engine and the big strong engine are nowhere to be found. If you're after the book you remember from your childhood, find another version. The illustrations are bright & fun, but there's just too much missing from the story.

Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: Trains, most kids love them and mine is no different. What a great story this is - a true classic and if you don't have it in your library, shame on you! When the little engine gets up the hill, it's just really neat to see the expression on little ones' faces as the engine takes the toys and food to the kids that are in need. Even Dumbo's train says, "I think I can, I think I can..." What a timeless message for everyone and a great way to teach kids the importance of helping one another.

Rating:
Summary: History of Little Engine that Could
Review: When I began reading this book to my kids, I was suprised that the broken down engine and the little engine that can were both female, while the unhelpful engines are male. I remembered the little engine being male. I was interested in the feminist message of such an classic children's story. A little research on the web gave a lot of info. Apparently, this version of the story was published in 1930 with the male and female references as they are in this current printing. This story was pulled from an slightly earlier version in which the characters were all gender neutral. If you'd like to learn more about the historical background, you may want to look at http://tigger.uic.edu/~plotnick/littleng.htm which does a nice job of giving an historical overview of the evolution of this wonderful tale of self strength.

Rating:
Summary: All time book
Review: Who can forget this story and not want a copy of it in their home?