Fast Train, Slow Train (Thomas & Friends) (Big Bright & Early Board Book)

Toddler likes it, but the story is lacking. Why aren't the engines pulling any cars? What exactly was James supposed to do about the poor standard passengers, he has no coaches to put them in? How did Edward get the calf off of the track? And why is Thomas lurking in the background on most of the pages when he isn't even mentioned in the 'story'? Yes, I know it's for littles, and they don't care, but as the parent who has to read this book (often) it would be nice if it were better.

My niece loves this book.

Thomas and friends are still as popular as ever with our Elementary and Middle school students.

This is a fun book for toddlers, with nice rhyme and an emphasis on being kind. It is a little heavy-handed with the moral of the story (the last line being "Vanity won him second place"), but otherwise has fun light rhymes which my 2 year old enjoys. He has even started making little rhymes based off the book. One day a few months ago, our not terribly verbal little guy spouted off:Daddy! Daddy! Go! Go! Go!Daddy! Daddy! Oh, so slow!His dad and I were a bit shocked, and had no idea where that had come from, until the next day when we were reading the book and recognized the rhyme. It was especially surprising because we hadn't read that book in about a week, so it must have just really stuck with him.

Honestly, these trains freak me out. Are they alive? Do people know they have feelings? Do they feel pain? Where are their ears? They had to be assembled at some point, is there a warehouse full of replacement faces? Is there a brain behind the face? If not, if you switched just the face from Gordon to Percy, would they just wake up in the other body? Do they have any other human anatomy? They get their power from steam, yet they need to sleep - if their fire goes out do they die? If they go and do whatever the heck they want, why are there conductors and engineers? Why does Sodor have such a huge transit system and 10 residents and only cottage industry? Do wheelchairs and hospital gurneys have faces on Sodor? Most importantly, why does Toppham Hatt still assign Thomas important tasks when, to my knowledge, he has never completed even one simple task, and frankly has put the lives of every living thing in danger at some point. This is some strange stuff, people.

This is a really good book as far as rhyming Thomas board books. It tells a story and has a lesson to learn, that might be a little over the heads of young kids, but is still enjoyable for them nonetheless. My 15 month old LOVES this book and chooses it to read often. Obviously I add tons of train noises in. I'm getting so good at my chugging and chuffing noises. I might put it on my résumé. Anyway, our baby loves the book and that's all we really care about!

The rhyming in the book is great and my 2 year old likes the pictures, but the message in the book about vanity seems a bit too old for the supposed age group for the book (0-3 years). When I read about the original author of Thomas the Train, who created the character in the 1940's, it makes a bit more sense, but I still think the meaning of this book is a little over the head of a toddler.

My 2 year old loves Thomas & Friends and he enjoys when I read him these Thomas board books. Although I wish they were more than a few pages long.

Good. Thanks.

I was unhappy with the presentation of the book cover...a little tatty in places especially other back cover.

Solid book but kids didn't like it as much as other Thomas hard paged books

Nice and colourful. My 2 1/2 yr old grandson loves it.

The story is a little lacking.