Orphan Train
Grade 2-4-During the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands of children from East Coast cities were shipped by train to the Midwest and given to whomever would take them. This illustrated poem follows three siblings' journey from their parents' death to a city orphanage to their new homes. The poem is written in short, terse lines that echo the rhythm of the swaying train. Some of the rhymes are contrived, such as "Slowly learning,/Day by day./Lucy giggles./`Goat, don't play!'" but most are more natural, e.g., "Station nearing,/Whistle blows./Wiping faces, /Smoothing clothes." An author's note gives a few pertinent facts about the Orphan Trains. Stark's realistic oil paintings appear on full spreads, and earth tones predominate. The children have personality, but some of their expressions are slightly exaggerated. While this is a good introduction to the subject, Eve Bunting's Train to Somewhere (Clarion, 1996) is a longer, more involved story and is a better choice for children with sufficient attention spans.Donna Cardon, Provo City Library, UTCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.