Review: Trouble on the Tracks

Trouble on the Tracks

Written and Illustrated by Kathy Mallat

Publication date: 2001
Publisher: Walker Publishing
ISBN: 0-8027-8771-1

Summary/Back cover:
There's Trouble with a capital "T"lurking among the familiar faces as a train makes its way through the villages along its route.

Review:
I didn't think this book was going to get as much attention as it has in this household - the pictures are OK, and the story is OK, but it's nothing particularly special. However, it does contain a train, and therefore it's a winner with my 3 year old.

SPOILER ALERT: The story appears to make no sense for a moment, as a train travels along and then derails, and the engineer say "Oh no, not again!" - but then we discover that it is a model train and it is the engineer's cat (who is named Trouble) that has walked across the track, dwarfing the train. Quite cleverly written in that aspect, I must admit.

I don't think this book is anything overly special, and would give it a rating of 3 out of 5 myself, but due to the huge amount of attention it's received from it's intended audience, I'm going to have to boost my rating a bit - after all, these books are written for the kids, not the parents, right?!

My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Review written by Bronwyn