Be Warned! You'll Have to Read it Over and Over and Over Again.
Written: Dec 24 '02 (Updated Mar 28 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Longer, beautifully illustrated, action-packed.
Cons: The depiction of lightning striking worried my son.
The Bottom Line: A great story for Thomas fans 2 and older. Requires a longer attention span than many of the other Thomas books.
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| dagny21's Full Review: Thomas the Really Useful Engine |
I bought this wonderful book for my son by pure chance. I needed an item to add to my order of other Thomas the Tank Engine stuff in order to get a better deal on shipping.
The Story - beware of spoilers
One day there is a fierce storm on the island of Sodor. Heavy rains, strong winds, and lightning wreak havoc all over the island. While Edward, James, Percy, Henry, Gordon, and Thomas are taking shelter in the Station House, suddenly a tall tree falls. No one is hurt, but the roof must now be repaired.
Gordon is put in charge of the project and he sends James and his freight cars out to collect lumber, bricks, and slate. When James doesn't return, Percy and a very reluctant Henry take off in the rain to see what's keeping him.
When none of the engines return, Thomas and his driver take it upon themselves to go looking for them, and Thomas is once again able to prove himself a "Really Useful Engine."
Featured Characters
Thomas, Henry, James, Percy, Gordon, Harold, Freight Cars, Annie & Clarabel, and - very briefly - Edward.
Our Experience
At 48 pages, this is a fairly long picture book, but my son pays attention from start to finish. The illustrations are gorgeous, and his favorite thing is to name the different engines on any given page. We've had this book 2 weeks now, and we read it before his naps and at bedtime every night.
The only bad thing is that the description of the storm and the pictures of lightning and fallen trees worries my son a little bit. But, I simply explained to him that lightning happens occasionally during storms, and that it wasn't going to hurt him. He still occasionally points to the lightning and asks "What's That?" with a worried look, but he seems to accept my explanation.
If you only buy one Thomas the Tank Book, this would be a fine choice.
FIND RELATED REVIEWS BELOW
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Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dagny21
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 in Kids & Family |
 - Top 500 |
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Member: Christine D
Location: Alaska
Reviews written: 388
Trusted by: 65 members
About Me:
Happily married mother of one boy.
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