Go West!

This is a delightful picture book about the history of the railway in North America, as well as a train ride from Montreal to Los Angeles. There are stops along the way in Buffalo, Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Cheyenne, Coutis, Calgary, Banff, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The pictures are done in art nouveau, with delightfully done drawings of either the train stations, or features of the city visited. New York gets both Grand Central, as well as a skyline.

I traveled the Coast Starlight, the train that goes from Seattle to Los Angeles, and it is pretty much as depicted in this picture book. Union Station in Los Angeles really has that gorgeous look to it (see images below)

In between the stations, and facts abouat the cites, are facts about the early railroads, such as how the Pullman porters started, or what the first engines looked like.

The only issue I have with this well researched book is that there is no train that comes from Seattle to San Francisco. There never has been. The train to San Francisco stops in Oakland, across the bay.

Here are some examples of the pages:
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_0331-1024x768.png" alt="" width="840" height="630" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-273" />
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_0330-1024x768.png" alt="" width="840" height="630" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-272" />
<img src="http://www.reyes-sinclair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/IMG_0329-1024x768.png" alt="" width="840" height="630" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-271" />

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This sweet little book, that gives brief details of the transcontinental journey, coast to coast all set in beautiful images that wouldn't look out of place on rail posters. This book is a joy to read. The details are to the point and give information that perhaps only the hardened American train enthusiast would already know. Several pieces sent me to the internet to search out more information and images to see what they looked like now. The imagery is stylised and in keeping with the between war period that saw rail travel such a big thing in the US. A lover of rail or someone who enjoys this artistic style needs to view this book.

If I could give this book a 100-star rating, I definitely would.
Wide-Eyed Editions, you will soon break my piggy bank :)

It is a locomotive book with rich historical information. 

I was at first not sure what to expect because I thought the market already has an excellent locomotive book for kids which I adore and I read it often to my kid. But "Go West!" proved to me talented writers and illustrators have no boundaries in creating magic.

Instead of telling a story, "Go West!" brings readers on board to travel from the west coast to the east in the year of 1836. With multiple stops along the way, readers learn about random historical facts of those places. Fun facts, in fact, nothing is boring. As an adult, I have even learned a few new things myself, too. 

To begin with, this is definitely NOT just a picture book for kids but for adults as well. The vintage, art deco style illustrations are simply to die for but they might be slightly too sophisticated for younger kids to appreciate. Just because younger kids might not know how to "appreciate" does not mean they don't enjoy it. My 4yo was ecstatic when I was reviewing the e-gallery on my laptop.

The layout of the timeline is great overall but sometimes seems confusing if not paying close attention to details. Remember that readers are supposed to be the passengers in the present time in 1836, the text used therefore is in present tense. However, whenever the content is about something that happened after 1836, the text then switches to using past tense. There is a confusing of "role-play" in a sense that I have to jump between being a passenger in 1836 and as a reader in the bi-millennium. If I have to make a slight complain about the book, the disruption of the timeline would be the only thing I find is flawed. Since "Go West!" is not a story book, the time disruption is an insignificant flaw unless the role-play as a passenger means a lot to me, which it isn't obviously.

Great work, Wide Eyed Editions! I simply can't wait for its publication date because I so do want to own the physical copy immediately! I have already mentioned the book to several of my friends and cousins who have kids with interests in trains. Thanks for the generosity of providing me an e-gallery to review.

Loved this! I'm very interesting in trains and railroads so this was right up my alley. I just would have liked a bit more detail! But it is a picture book geared towards children so I can't fault it for not being too in depth. An interesting, factual journey from Montreal across the US (and bits of Canada) to Los Angeles.

Cool retro look at the age of rail travel

Given that this book looks at a time before my time, it certainly looks at a time long before that of its target audience. To them it will be an ancient history book.

Fortunately it is visually captivating. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for the art deco style, but this book, with its two page spreads, is artistically very clean and sophisticated compared to many children's books of today.

Both the route and the choices of emphasis are a bit quirky, but I suppose that is part of the fun, and may anyway be lost on little ones. I'm not sure whether the diversions into Canada are to lengthen the story, because the stops are cool, or because they want to sell copies in Canada. Not a logical route from NY to LA but, really, that isn't the point.

I received a copy for review from the publisher, but will likely be giving copies as gifts in the future.

This is an attractive introduction to train travel--how it spanned North America, how locomotives and cars developed to provide speed and luxury, and the architecture of the train stations. The text is clear and informative. I especially appreciated the map that showed how the train travel went from coast to coast.

I loved the art deco artwork in this non fiction book about the railroads.  It shows how a person might have crossed the United States and Canada on trains, including the railroad companies that ran the trains as well as different stations where the trains would have stopped.  I really liked this one a lot.

Probably the most sophisticated children's book I've seen in recent years, this is a very enjoyable and educational book about the history behind North America's trains and railways. This is not your typical picture book, and although its illustrations could attract young children, they would likely get bored with its content. Those with intellectual and/or curious minds that have even a slight interest in trains are sure to enjoy this book.

This was a pretty cool book! I think young train enthusiasts, or those getting ready to take their first train trip, will enjoy this story. The illustrations was really cool! Sleekly modern!

Who isn't fascinated with trains? I know my boys love them! We enjoyed reading Go West! together one evening recently. This interesting book combines the history of trains with the history and geography of the United States and Canada.
As you travel through this book, you begin your trip in Montreal. Your ticket appears as you reach each new stop, and the conductor punches it to show where you are. Not only are the cities you pass through described, and some of the large stations, you also get to learn about various locomotives that have been used, beginning with the Tom Thumb in 1830. Some of the more special passenger cars are described, too, so you can imagine you are actually riding on a train!
I enjoyed some of the words that were used in this story. For example, near the beginning, mention was made of how someone “bankrolled” a locomotive. Someone piped up with a question about what that word meant, so I got to add to everyone's vocabulary.
There is also a map near the beginning. I was glad for that, because when we first saw the ticket, I tried to describe the route. Then, we turned the page and found the map, so I could show them what I was talking about.
My younger boys didn't really enjoy this book much. They thought it was too boring. I liked, it, though, just as an aid to learning the geography of North America!
WARNING: Three million years is mentioned at stop 12.