What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up? - Railroaders [VHS]

This is my favorite zoo video to show my kindergarten class before going to the zoo on a field trip. I had an old VHS tape that I was still using (yes, it’s that good that I kept using a VHS tape because I couldn’t find a better movie to replace it with!) till I stumbled across this old library DVD copy and bought it immediately! The movie has a great segment in zookeepers and the jobs they do.

It's a pity that Amazon doesn't show a photo with this video, because not having one will probably hurt sales. It took me awhile to get around to obtaining this video (my son, age 3 1/2, and I have been seeking out every train video we can find). I wish we hadn't waited so long.This video features really wonderful musical segments with songs that are not as often heard on children's train videos (John Henry, Drill Ye Tarriers Drill, Wabash Cannonball) along with the old standard, She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain. All of the songs are sung by adults rather than by choruses of children. I prefer it that way, but the videos with gaggles of children belting out songs do have their charm.The premise is that three children (two boys and a girl) are taking a train ride in a park, enter a tunnel, and exit in a magical train station. Mr. Charlie (an African-American Sir Topham Hatt type character), gives the children tickets to have the train experiences they want most. One child wants to ride a steam train, another wants to see freight cars moving massive cargo, and the third wants to ride on a passenger train.During all of the adventures, information is given about trains, how they work, and what they carry. There is also historical information. The video closes with a tall tale about the Wabash Cannonball.I would give this video 5 stars except that the acting is somewhat forced, and the girl character (Allison) is a little too cutesy for my taste. The real life engineers and train crew members that the children meet along the way are a little ill at ease, but it just reminds you that they are real people, not actors. This is one of the better train videos I've found.

I've rewatched this thing so often when I was little, I can't even begin to estimate how many times. The songs are catchy and I still remember them to this day. Might not be suited for modern children any older than Kindergarten, but for young kids this tape is fantastic!

The children in this dvd struck us as providing a terrible example of tone of voice and attitude. We bought this for our grandson, but could not give it to him. Kids often copy what they see and hear. The choice of songs seems good (we could not stand to listen to much of it, however) and I felt bad tossing it in the trash and was moved to warn others of the problem.