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How to Train a Train

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How to Train a Train
by Jason Carter Eaton, illustrated by John Rocco
Candlewick, 2013. Unpaged. Picture Book.

     Kids have all different kinds of pets, but if you want a pet train a little extra work may be involved.  First you have to catch one.  Some children corner their trains, or use a very large net. Some run the tracks into quicksand, though that has some follow-up problems. Best of all is to coax the train to come home with you using smoke signals, flattery, chunks of coal leading to you--all the things you might do with any other wild creature. Eaton and Rocco's truly delightful picture book not only explains how to get a train for a pet, but how to take care of it and to teach it tricks. Like the beloved Shark vs. Train before it, How to Train a Train has just the right combination of goofballness and child-friendly logic to make it a long-time favorite.
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