Prairie Train

Marsha Wilson Chall's first book, Up North at the Cabin, which was inspired by her own childhood summers on northern Minnesota lakes. Sugarbush Spring was also inspired by a beloved family tradition. Marsha is also the author of Rupa Raises the Sun (DK Ink), illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger. She lives with her two children, Lindsay and Robbie, in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

K-Gr. 3. A young girl relays the thrill of her first train ride as she takes the Great Northern across the prairie to visit her grandmother in St. Paul. Graceful phrasing ("Night chases close behind [the train] and hitches a rail") and word placement on the pages generate the rhythm of the journey, which is accentuated by train sounds that appear in italics. The colorful acrylic illustrations create both atmosphere and emotions as the girl delights in choosing her favorites in the dining car, sings along with a boy playing the harmonica when a snowdrift stalls the train, and worries whether her grandmother will be waiting for her. One aspect is puzzling: the text reads "the woman facing me knits" but when the child tumbles off the seat, the seat opposite her appears empty; it's only in the next spread that a woman is shown with her knitting. That asidd, this is a poignant glimpse of a time gone by (possibly the 1920s or 1930s), which shares a special experience. Julie Cummins
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