Description: Winner of the 1979 Caldecott Honor A picture book that captures vibrant, primary colors and a lively sense of speed through masterful graphic technique. "A picture book should tell its story through pictures alone. If it takes too many words to tell the story, it's no longer a picture book." - Donald Crews With its bold, refreshing composition and short, simple text that lets readers easily follow along, Freight Train is one of Donald Crews' signature works. When it was first published in 1978, it was praised for its sophisticated artistic style and helped establish Crews as a celebrated picture book creator. The book takes a vehicle beloved by children—the train—and brings it to life with striking colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, creating vivid contrasts that leave a strong impression. Another hallmark of the book is its use of simple circles and straight lines to depict objects in the most minimal way possible. What might seem like a plain, dull freight train instead runs boldly, dressed in beautiful, varied colors. It passes through tunnels, speeds past cities, and crosses railway bridges. It runs by night and by day, running and running and running. Yet just when this tireless freight train will finally stop is left to the reader's imagination. The book also offers an engaging look at the purpose of each train car: the caboose where the crew rides, tank cars carrying oil, and cars loaded with gravel, livestock, coal, fertilizer, and coal and water. These varied cars link together one after another to form a single long train, offering young readers a glimpse into an aspect of modern culture through this one simple object. In today's world of high-speed trains, children will find themselves swept away on a journey through time as they discover Donald Crews' charming, colorful freight train.