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    The Children's Book Review

    Go West!: The Great North American Railroad Adventure | Book Review

    Dr. Jen HarrisonBy Dr. Jen Harrison2 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Ages 9-12 Cultural Wisdom Picture Books Travel
    Book Go West
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    The Children’s Book Review | September 19, 2019

    Buy the BookGo West!: The Great North American Railroad Adventure

    Written and illustrated by Pascal Blanchet

    Age Range: 7-10

    Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions (2018)

    ISBN: 978-1-78603-179-2

    What to Expect: Trains, cities, and history

    It is difficult for any child not to feel a fascination for trains: their sleek design, their speed, and the complex engineering that makes them work. These days, however, unless you live in a city, trains are not all that common within the United States. It may be surprising, therefore, to learn that trains played a significant role in US history and continue to be important to travel and commerce in the modern world. Go West! explores the history of the railway in North American from 1830 to the present, at the same time taking readers on an exciting journey west across this vast continent.

    Go West! starts in 1836 with the Dorchester Locomotive in Montreal, and concludes its journey 14 stops later, at Union Station in Los Angeles, where the Academy Awards are hosted annually. Along the way readers are shown the development of different engines from the “golden age of rail travel”, as well as some of the mechanics of rail travel: the development of a ticketing system, for example, or how a locomotive’s engine works. At the same time, the volume is packed with information about the cities it visits on route: New York, Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, and many others. The volume is lavishly illustrated with original artwork in the Art Deco style which beautifully evokes the age of rail expansion and exploration. For any child who cannot get enough of trains and railways, this volume would make a beautiful gift.

    Buy the Book

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    About the Author-Illustrator

    Author-illustrator PASCAL BLANCHET was born in Trois-Rivières in 1980 and now lives in Montreal. He has a strong interest in 20th-century design, architecture, jazz, and graphic novels, which is reflected in his style of art. A self-taught illustrator, he has produced artwork for American and Canadian newspapers and magazines, with clients including Penguin Books, The San Francisco magazine, The New Yorker, and The National Post.

    Go West!: The Great North American Railroad Adventure was reviewed by Dr. Jen Harrison. Discover more books like Go West!: The Great North American Railroad Adventure by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with American History, Trains, and Transportation.

    What to Read Next:

    1. Inside the Studio with Shawn Harris, Illustrator of Her Right Foot
    2. Ancient World Magnified, by David Long | Book Review
    3. Illustration Inspiration: Christian Robinson
    4. If You Were Me and Lived In … Egypt, by Carole P. Roman | Dedicated Review

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    American History Non-Fiction Pascal Blanchet Picture Book Trains Transportation Travel Wide Eyed Editions
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    Dr. Jen Harrison
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    Dr. Jen Harrison provides writing and research services as the CEO of Read.Write.Perfect. She completed her Ph.D. in Children’s and Victorian Literature at Aberystwyth University in Wales, in the UK. After a brief spell in administration, Jen then trained as a secondary school English teacher and worked for several years teaching Secondary School English, working independently as a private tutor of English, and working in nursery and primary schools. She has been an editor for the peer-reviewed journal of children’s literature, Jeunesse, and has published academic work on children’s non-fiction, YA speculative fiction, and the posthuman.

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