“Here is the station all noisy and full, / and the station clock goes, ‘Tick-tock, tickerty-tock . . . ’/ and the man in the station office cries, ‘Hurry up! Hurry up! Any more tickets . . . ?’ ” So begins this charming chronicle of the cacophonous morning departure of an old-fashioned, presumably British train. Fun-to-read-aloud sound effects from engines (“Chuff-chuff, chufferty-chuff”), passengers (“Lovely cake, Doris. Lovely tea, Mabel . . . ”) and even chickens keep the linear story chugging along to its finale, when a caged parrot mimics the train’s sounds and the passengers’ prattle in a lively, rhythmic song. The color-soaked illustrations, in “pen, ink and Macintosh,” are wonderfully whimsical depictions of frivolously curlicued railway stations of yesteryear, ornate trains and eccentric passengers, from bespectacled, broom-bearing soldiers to purple-suited businessmen eating boiled eggs. Recurring elements such as a teapot and a few snails reward young readers who take the time to look closely. A fresh, visually arresting read-aloud with a lovely old-time feel. (Picture book. 3-5)
