Legendary Journeys: Trains, written by Philip Steele, illustrated by Sebastian Quigley, Kingfisher, $19.99, ages 9-12, 32 pages. Any child who loves to get stuck behind a train crossing and watch it thunder by will adore this gorgeous, interactive tribute to the greatest trains of all time. Bright, crisp images, each with brief descriptions, fill every two-page spread, similar to a scrapbook, and though the book covers a lot, beginning with the first steam engine and ending with the magnetic suspension Maglev train, the text never gets heavy. Readers bounce along, viewing feats of engineering and keepsakes from the past.
