TRAINBOTS, Miranda Paul's Newest, Arrives June 7 by Kathy Halsey

TRAINBOTS sliding, TRAINBOTS gliding all the the way to Columbus town! The F&G of Miranda Paul's newest rhyming picture book arrived at my stop late February, but GROG readers board the train today. Stops include Kid/Parent Station, Teacher Terminal, and Writers' Railway. 

Spotted in the wilds of Arizona...it's TRAINBOTS

Look at this train's "jeep! (That's train talk for "engine.")  According to Amazon it's dimensions are:

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
• Grade Level: Preschool - 3
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: little bee books (June 7, 2016)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 149980167X
• ISBN-13: 978-1499801675
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches

Kathy's Summary: TRAINBOTS is a rollicking, fun rhyming picture book that children from PreK-5th grade (classroom-tested with 5th graders.) will enjoy. Badbots meet Trainbots in a classic good vs. evil plot. Trainbots do deliver their precious toy cargo, and, in the process, readers learn about trains, the engineering/design process, and lessons on friendship.

Kid/Parent Station

Sketch-Final Art from F&G by Shane McG

This is a "read-it-again, please " picture book for child/parent audiences. The straight-forward plot and engaging bots will have little ones clamoring for more. Repeated exposure to rhyming texts scaffold reading development. As Tim Shanahan, Founding Director of the Center for Literacy, states on his blog,"...the idea of rhyming as a pre-requisite to reading; exposure to this kind of play with words and "word families" gives children another pathway to reading." 

Teacher Terminal

Fifth graders in picture book critique groups

School librarians often use the material designator "E" for "easy/ everybody." TRAINBOTS is an "everybody" picture book that teachers and librarians can share with upper elementary students, too. Savvy educators will discover English/Language Arts, science, and maker spaces ideas in TRAINBOTS. Plot arc, engineering, and STEAM/STEM connections are readily apparent. 

Gifted fifth graders studying picture books in a class I co-taught had this to say:

• "Just from the title, it sounds  interesting." - Cameron
• "The story is strong...it has rhythm." - Rusty
• The rhythm is like a train." - Emily
• "Even though the vocabulary is pretty large, kids can tell what it means by the story's pictures and plot." - Libby

    Writers' Railway

My messy desk

It's no secret, I'm a big Miranda Paul fan. Rhymers can leaner so much from a study of her books. Although she doesn't write to trends, her books fill needed niches in school/library collections. The topics cover a myriad of disciplines. I'm also a student of Miranda's business/PR acumen. Study her web site, note the number of links I found before her book launch. (See below.) Miranda plans ahead; she even took TRAINBOTS on vacation with her family out West. (See first photo in this post!)

 TRAINBOT Review Links

•  Writers' Rumpus
• Noodling with Words
• Foreword Reviews
• That's Another Story
• Shane McG

As I review children's literature, I notice, too, the type of information and the method in which publishers reach out to  bloggers. I am impressed with little bee books and their publicity team. I'm adding this imprint to my publishing "wish list" for myself as I travel the writers' railway. Get aboard the TRAINBOTS express now.

Back cover TRAINBOTS F&G