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#42 Freight Train by Donald Crews (1978)
40 points

Trains, colors, simplicity. What a mix! – Angela Reynolds

Perfect blend of art and language, from the first line to going, going, gone. - Pat Vasilik

Ah.  At last we reach another book I like to read to my daughter.  Tell me, does anyone else do a little Kaiser Soze puff of air from the lips when you reach that last “gone” in the book or is that just me?  Don’t answer that.  At any rate there are few books that manged to grab kids quite as young as this one.  It’s something to do with the combination of the pacing, the design, the colors, and the content.  I can’t explain it, but whatever it is it has allowed a book that shares my age to stick around for as long as I have.  Entirely awesome.

The plot according to Kirkus reads, “As trains do, this one simply–splendidly simply–comes and goes. Starting with an empty track, Crews sets down and names the six different ears: each a different primer-bright color, all together a streaking rainbow when pulled along by the moving black engine. Through tunnel and city and darkness and daylight moves the freight train, “Going, going–gone,” leaving behind a trail of smoke and a strong, sharp impression.”

According to Anita Silvey’s 100 Best Books for Children, Freight Train was originally conceived when Crews served in the military in Germany.  It was based on his own memories of watching the trains move past his grandparents’ farm in Florida.  And if you’re like me you probably have noticed the “1978″ and “N&A” in the book.  The first is the date of publication, the second a tribute to his kids Nanette and Amy.

In 1979 it won a Caldecott Honor.  One wonders if new parents that encounter it today just assume that the art is computer generated.  In fact he made the art with stencils and blocks of color.

Back in 1978 Kirkus gave it a star and said it had, “Clean, clear, brilliant design, with no drag.”

Booklist said, “Clear bright illustrations show all the cars of a train bringing the reader the excitement of movement through day and night, country and city.”

Freight Train is notable these days because of its incredibly clever app.  Here’s a look at it:

And here is Donald Crews himself talking about the app:

Hard to beat the original, of course.

(Oh hey, check out this new Oliver Jeffers’ Heart And The Bottle app!)

Everyone – and I mean, EVERYONE (that’s right, NPR) – is talking about e-books and new media.  While adult e-readers are already a major part of consumer culture, childrens’ apps and e-books are still in their infancy (pun intended).  People seem to have a special concern and defensiveness reserved for the future of kids’ books – after all, who wants their kids’ future reduced to bedtime stories curled up with an IPad?

Most industry professionals and consumers alike agree that traditional children’s books aren’t going anywhere.  For one, buying a two-year-old a Color Nook is a lot less cost-efficient than a $4.99 board book, if all the toddler’s going to do is chew on the corners.  For another, people like the visceral experience of buying a hardcover book and turning its pages, reading aloud themselves instead of pressing a button.

Instead, we’re heading towards more and more options for kids books, and while we adults will have to nervously or excitedly adapt, kids will grow up expecting content on myriad forms of media.

So I commend SCBWI’s Illustrators’ Intensive for making the focus of their annual NYC event “Beyond Books: Picture Books and the New Media“.  Hey, if we don’t know about it, let’s invite some panelists to tell us about it!

As excited as I was about hearing the “Online Presence: A Panel Review of Websites, Blogs and Social Media”, it wasn’t my focus of the day.  Mostly, I was there to hear about the latest digital development shrouded in mystery: apps.  It’s something we all know is the future (SO much cooler than e-books), but we don’t REALLY know how they’re created.  First off, we sat in on the “Development of Apps from Classics” discussion, with panelists Virginia Duncan of Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins) and Colin Hosten of Hyperion/Disney Digital Books.

Ms. Duncan explained the making of Greenwillow’s first app, Freight Train by Donald Crews.  With bold shapes and different views from its companion book, Inside Freight Train, this was a perfect way to get an introduction to all that can be done with an app. Take a simple story, then add movement, games, songs… the sky’s the limit!  Check out storyboards and other making-of tidbits from Freight Train here.

Now, say what you want about Disney’s creepy corpo