Down by the Station

by Jennifer Riggs Vetter, Frank Remkiewicz (Illustrator)

Overview

Down by the depot, early in the morning
See the yellow school buses all in a row
See the school bus driver warming up the engine
Vroom vroom beep beep! Off we go!

Little fans of trucks and trains and boats and planes will love to sing this action-packed, expanded version of the classic rhyme, paired with Frank Remkiewicz's happy, vibrant illustrations.Reviews"Vetter's debut adds new verses to the familiar favorite. Children who love things that go will be thrilled with the vehicles included here: school bus, tractor-trailer, excavator, jumbo jet, sailboat, racecar, fire engine and rocket. The ending is a good segue to bedtime, as the train returns to the station and several sleepyheads head to bed."—Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781582462431
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/12/2009
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

JENNIFER RIGGS VETTER is a former children's book editor who has always loved to read. She lives with her husband and two sons in Oakland, California. This is her first book.

FRANK REMKIEWICZ has illustrated more than sixty books, including Jonathan London's beloved Froggy series, and has even written a few of his own. Frank lives with his wife in Sarasota, Florida.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 1

In this playful takeoff on the traditional song about trains, the author expands the vehicles-and locations-to include numerous modes of transportation. Each spread features a crowd of happy animal characters (often parent-child pairs) cavorting to a stanza that matches a different vehicle: school bus, truck, airplane, sailboat, rocket, and more. The verses conclude with the appropriate sound effects and the refrain, "Off we go!," until evening arrives at book's end. Remkiewicz uses candy-bright colors and a hint of goofy elasticity in his slightly busy watercolor art. With enough repetition to tempt early readers to try the text on their own, the book will also attract the lap-sit crowd, who love a good vehicle story. Collections that need more books on transportation may want to hop onboard.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

School Library Journal

Vetter's debut adds new verses to the familiar favorite. Children who love things that go will be thrilled with the vehicles included here: school bus, tractor-trailer, excavator, jumbo jet, sailboat, racecar, fire engine and rocket. The ending is a good segue to bedtime, as the train returns to the station and several sleepyheads head to bed. With only one exception, the new verses scan well and fit the rhythm of the traditional tune. Other than starting and finishing with the train in the station, however, there is little to tie this collection of verses together-there is no narrative flow. Reminiscent of television cartoons, Remkiewicz's watercolors fit the tone and target age group well; his colors are bright, his backgrounds uncluttered and his lines simple. While the size makes this a good choice for group sharing, individual readers will enjoy finding the same two characters (a worm and a chicken) on every spread. For transportation enthusiasts, storytime read-alouds and long car trips, the lack of a story will scarcely be noticed. (Picture book. 2-6)

Kirkus Reviews