Heidi Hart

Locomotive tells the story of the building of the first transcontinental rail line in the 1860s, and of the steam engines that traveled the line, as told from the point of view of a family journeying from Omaha to Sacramento. My brother and sister-in-law gave this to my boys, and my almost-four-year-old loves it, but it's too long to read cover-to-cover and sustain his (limited) attention. He brings it to me and sits enthralled, asking questions, while I read 10-15 pages, and then he's off to the next adventure. I heartily recommend this book anyway, though, because even in small doses, my train-crazy son enjoys it, and older readers (including Moms and Dads) will really enjoy it. The history is fantastic and the illustrations are great -- both beautiful and informative.