Please welcome my guest author today, Marsha Diane Arnold. Her newest book is about a steam engine train, and she has a list of 7 Train Books to get Young Readers on the Right Track!
We are giving away a copy of Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
Thank you, Mia, for welcoming me to Pragmatic Mom again, and congratulations on your upcoming 2025 books, too! Today, I’m celebrating trains – their history, their charm, and how they bring people from distant and diverse places together. Trains often evoke nostalgia; many of these books hold special meaning to me, whether through childhood memories, experiences of motherhood, or my connection to the authors.
7 Train Books to get Young Readers on the Right Track
Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team: The World’s Largest Steam Engine Roars Back To Life! by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Adam Gustavson
The title and subtitle are so long I can barely remember them myself, but this is one BIG, MAGNIFICENT train, so it deserves a BIG title! In the beginning, there were 25 of them, thundering across mountains and plains, built for Union Pacific to help move soldiers and freight during WWII. All but 8 were eventually scrapped. Big Boy 4014 sat for half a century in an outdoor museum before the Steam Team took on what many considered an impossible task – restoring the largest steam engine in the world. The book offers insights into engineering, the legacy of steam locomotives, and teamwork. The backmatter includes photos and information about Big Boy’s historical significance. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter, illustrated by Tibor Gergely
“The Little Red Caboose always came last.” Little Red Caboose feels overlooked compared to the other train cars. Then, one day, the train begins to slip backward on a mountain. That’s when Little Red Caboose pushes with all its might, showing its bravery. Little Red Caboose has remained in print since its original publication. That says a lot. The nostalgia – my grandmother bought me Little Golden Books for just a quarter when I was a child. Little Red Caboose was one of them. [picture book, ages 1 and up]
The Caboose Who Got Loose by Bill Peet
Classic Bill Peet! The story follows Katy Caboose, who dreams of escaping the hectic and noisy railroad life for a peaceful life in the country. There are whimsical rhymes, vivid illustrations, and a theme of self-discovery and individuality – finding one’s place in the world. The nostalgia is strong here. My son’s favorite books as a child were by Bill Peet, and this was one of them. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Iron Horses by Verla Kay, illustrated by Michael McCurdy
This rollicking, rhythmic text captures the excitement and challenges of the arrival of trains in the American West. It chronicles the story of the Union Pacific workers and Central Pacific workers as they built the first transcontinental rail line in the United States. The scratchboard and watercolor illustrations are stunning. The nostalgia here is remembering when Verla and I both lived in California. We saw each other at conferences and spent time chatting and laughing with Linda Joy Singleton. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Sleep Train by Jonathan London, illustrated by Lauren Eldridge
A fantastical bedtime story where the counting is similar to counting sheep, but more rhythmical and magical as the reader counts train cars. The illustrations are a combination of miniature three-dimensional models and photography. Text and images calm little ones as they nod off to dreamland. The nostalgia here goes back to when I started a writers’ group in the early 1990s in Sonoma County. At least one NYC editor once called it “that famous Sebastopol Writers Group.” Of course, Jonathan London was part of the group. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
The Secret Subway by Shana Corey, illustrated by Red Nose Studio
The Secret Subway uncovers the history of New York City’s first subway system, highlighting the ingenuity and determination behind its completion in 1870. The narrative is lively, friendly, and fun! The fascinating art is a combination of clay animation and mixed-media sculptures. The nostalgia – Shana was an editor at Random House when my book Quick, Quack, Quick was published. [picture book, ages 6 and up]
Chaiwala! by Priti Birla Maheshwari, illustrated by Ashley Barron
It’s only a 10-minute stop at a train station in Jaipur, India, but I still think this qualifies as a train story. The story follows a girl and her mother as they experience the process of ordering chai from the chaiwala, smelling the aroma of ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, then enjoying it with a biscuit and rusk…until the train whistle blows, calling them back aboard. It’s a celebration of food, family, tradition, and train stops! The nostalgia here is that my first book, Heart of a Tiger, was set in India, and I absolutely love chai! [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Big Boy 4014 And The Steam Team GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away a copy of Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.
Marsha Diane Arnold is the author of twenty-four books, including Galapagos Girl., One Small Thing and Badger’s Perfect Garden. Her books have received awards, earned starred reviews, made lists, and been translated into multiple languages. Lights Out was a finalist for the SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text, and Armando’s Island has received four nature awards, including the Riverby. But most importantly, readers love her books – and Marsha loves to visit schools to share them with readers. With a heart for nature, history, and stories of quiet power, she brings imagination and soul to every book she writes. Marsha grew up in the country, about a mile from the railroad tracks, where she could hear train whistles echo through the night. So, it’s not surprising her newest picture book is about a very special train. Big Boy 4014 and the Steam Team steams into bookstores May 1, 2025. You can learn more about Marsha and her books at www.marshadianearnold.com. She can also be found at Facebook (@MarshaDianeArnold) and Instagram (@marshadianearnoldauthor).
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My books:
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Barbed Wire Between Us by Mia Wenjen, illustrated by Violeta Encarnación
- ⭐ Starred review from Kirkus
- ⭐ Starred review from Publishers Weekly
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal
- Kirkus: The Most Anticipated Children’s Books of Spring 2026
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Gold Award
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
The Traveling Taco:
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Silver Award
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Reading Rockets’ Summer Reading Guide 2025
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
We Sing from the Heart: How the Slants® Took Their Fight for Free Speech to the Supreme Court
- ALSC Notable Children’s Book
- 2025 Carter G. Woodson Book Award Middle Level Honoree
- Orbis Pictus Recommended Book for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
- 2024 Julia Ward Howe Prize for Children’s Literature Winner
- California Eureka Non-Fiction Award Honor Book
- Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People Winner (from National Council for the Social Studies and Children’s Book Council)
- Bank Street Best Children’s Books of the Year 2025
- Recommended Reading for the Social Justice Literature Award 2025 (International Literacy Association)
- Pennsylvania Mountain Laurel Book Award Nominee 2026-27
- Junior Library Guild Gold Selection
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- ⭐ Starred review from School Library Journal!
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- dPICTUS 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
- Green Earth Book Award Long List
- Nautilus Silver Winner, Nonfiction Children’s Picture Book
- Sunshine State Young Readers Award Orange Blossom List for Nonfiction
- Imagination Soup’s 35 Best Nonfiction Books of 2023 for Kids
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Bank Street College’s The Best Children’s Books of the Year
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
I don’t think I’ve read too many. Looking at this list should help with that
Long ago we had a “Little Engine that Could” book, with its refrain of, “I think I can, I think I can”–I remember thinking, every time, “It should be “The Little Engine Who Could”! So it made an impression on me, but perhaps not the one the author intended. 🙂
I love Steam, Smoke, and Steel Back in Time with Trains by Patrick O’Brien.
Little Engine that Could
So cool!
I’ve been inA READING rutt lately but i’d love to read these. ( i want to be a children’s illustrator )
ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)
Always looking for funny picture books! I really like Who Took the B from my -ook! Very similar to The Book with No Pictures.