Locomotive by Brian Floca

Floca, B. (2013). Locomotive. New York, NY: Atheneum for Young Readers.

Locomotive  was written and illustrated by Brian Floca. It won the Caldecott Medal in 2014. The book chronicles the journey of passengers headed out west by way of a steam train during the great westward expansion in the mid-late 1800’s. As the passengers are riding along on the new transcontinental railroad you experience the sights and sounds of the era through realistic illustrations,creative fonts and bold text. The endpapers of the book are worth mentioning as well because they provide valuable information to the reader about the actual construction of the railroad in the 1800’s and the inner workings of a steam locomotive. The “main character” of this book is probably the actual locomotive itself rather than the passengers. The story revolves primarily around the sights, sounds, and feel of the steam locomotive moving across the country. The text and content of the book is best suited for upper elementary school students. In the classroom, this book could easily be used across the curriculum particularly when discussing westward expansion. It provides rich nonfiction text about the railroads and trains. Additionally, nonfiction text features could be discussed using the endpapers. Further, due to the use of unique fonts and text, a teacher could use this book to discuss writer’s craft with students and perhaps even encouraging them to employ some of the techniques used by Brian Floca. Locomotive is a fun and exciting story that is sure to please many young readers. I enjoyed this book, the illustrations, and even the endpapers very much!

(Image from brianfloca.com)