I received Brian Floca books in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
Can you ever have too many books? For me the answer is no. I was wandering the bookstore the other day, one of my favorite things to do, and this train book with the most incredible illustrations caught my eye. I started to flip through it and realized it tells the story of a journey on the Transcontinental Railroad.
My 3-year-old has been obsessed with a non-fiction book about the Transcontinental Railway lately. The book is written at a high school level, which makes it really difficult to read to him, but it is filled with great facts and pictures. He found it at the library and we have renewed it several times. When I saw that Locomotive contained many of the same details, but in a more age appropriate manner, I knew we had to have it. I was not alone! With enough detail and information to keep older children interested and a great rhythmic train-like flow to keep younger kids engaged , you can’t go wrong! This books has won so many awards, and for good reason! The illustrations are incredible and the story so captivating! It is a must have for every home library.
Locomotive by Brian Floca ARV $17.99
Winner of The Caldecott Medal 2014
• New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books of the Year
• Wall Street Journal Top 10 Children’s Books of 2013
• Orbis Pictus Honor Book
• Amazon.com Top 20 Children’s Books of 2013
• Booklist‘s Top of the List pick for Youth Picture Book 2013
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2013
• School Library Journal Best Books 2013 Nonfiction
• Kirkus Reviews Best Children’s Books of 2013
• Horn Book Fanfare
• New York Public Library 100 Books for Reading and Sharing 2013
• Huffington Post Best Picture Books of 2103 (Best History/Biography)
• Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2013
• Fuse #8 100 Magnificent Children’s Books 2013
• Winter 2013–2014 Kids’ Indie Next List Preview
• Junior Library Guild selection
We had the chance to read The Race Car Alphabet By Brain Floca ARV $18.99 as well! Also beautifully illustrated, this book is a car lovers dream! This ABC book has great alliterative text that rhymes and flows and is so fun to read. The pictures feature cars and situations of every kind and they progress throughout the book from earlier to more modern models.
Brain Floca has several other books that are sure to please any reader in your home. You can find them at your favorite local bookstore or on amazon here.