Best Train Books For Your Train Lover

It was the Little Puffer that got us started down this road – one ride around the local Zoo on the mini steam train and my tot was hooked. Trains, trains, trains. Now, when we’re walking down the street, she grabs our hands and starts shuffling her feet saying, “look, we’re a train.” Then she starts chugga-chugga-choo-chooing down the sidewalk. You can’t help but smile and play along.

So, in light of train enthusiasts everywhere, here are the train books that are tops for tots. There are so many train books out there that it is actually hard to winnow down the great ones. However, here are our favorites:

Freight Train, by Donald Crews. Teaches your child the colors of the rainbow car by car.

Choo Choo: The Story of a Little Engine Who Ran Away, by Virginia Lee Burton. The story of a discontented engine that runs away to learn important lessons. This book has beautiful black and white drawings and lots of train noises.

Crack in the Track, by Jane E. Gerver and Tommy Stubbs. Thomas gets derailed, but it’s the subtext that will keep parents snickering.

The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper. Hear your child say those well-known words: “I think I can!”

The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg. A magical journey into Santa’s hometown, beautifully told.

Train Song, by Diane Siebert. Follow the rhythm of the track, “Out in back, clickety-clack…”

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lewis and Daniel Kirk. A freight train who loads up, takes a trip, unloads then has to go nighty night. Very sneaky way to end the day.