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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
Reading with Dolly Parton, who is pure joy :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9fv_ELbnE&list=PLnkt0vFXIkAIR7ZRV7pbsuxgV8nnlsI90&index=2&t=0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT9fv_ELbnE&list=PLnkt0vFXIkAIR7ZRV7pbsuxgV8nnlsI90&index=2&t=0s
I am not sure if my nostalgia is deceiving me or it is a shortcoming of the abridged version, but I did not find the little blue engine’s struggle to be very arduous or prolonged. It really seemed like the only thing that set her apart from the other engines was that she did not just blow off the toy train. In the end I was underwhelmed.
Watty Piper, The Little Engine that Could (Platt and Munk, 1930)
When I was a kid, I was pretty open to reading just about anything, really, and there were very few books I simply did not like. One of them was The Little Engine that Could. Well, a copy of it popped into our house tonight thanks to the mother-in-law, and I read it to the Bean tonight. Forty years later, my opinion of the book has not changed one bit. Repetitive prose, unlikable characters (in the engines who refuse), trite, inspirational resolution...I wouldn't have put things in those words when I was four, of course, at that time all I knew was that I was bored by it compared to other books in my collection of which I wore out multiple copies (Big Max, The Snowy Day, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, I could go on all day), but now, with a quarter-century of analysis and criticism behind me, I can put fingers on why the book rubbed me the wrong way so badly when I was young. And it still does. I know it is beloved of millions, but sorry, folks, I have never been able to get on this bandwagon, and at this point it's pretty obvious I never will. * ½
When I was a kid, I was pretty open to reading just about anything, really, and there were very few books I simply did not like. One of them was The Little Engine that Could. Well, a copy of it popped into our house tonight thanks to the mother-in-law, and I read it to the Bean tonight. Forty years later, my opinion of the book has not changed one bit. Repetitive prose, unlikable characters (in the engines who refuse), trite, inspirational resolution...I wouldn't have put things in those words when I was four, of course, at that time all I knew was that I was bored by it compared to other books in my collection of which I wore out multiple copies (Big Max, The Snowy Day, Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, I could go on all day), but now, with a quarter-century of analysis and criticism behind me, I can put fingers on why the book rubbed me the wrong way so badly when I was young. And it still does. I know it is beloved of millions, but sorry, folks, I have never been able to get on this bandwagon, and at this point it's pretty obvious I never will. * ½
Love this story, and the lesson it imparts. The story itself has been around for a long time, but the lovely illustrations in this edition (gifted to my son by family) really make it stand out.
Comes across as dated but having been published in 1930 I think it has a lovely message and perseverance and that we can all achieve if we put our mind to it. So many books since have shared this message but I do wonder if this is one of the first.
I loved this book when I was younger! I used to read it with my sisters.
A childhood favourite that has lost none of its charm. I have a lot of nostalgia for this book, it is magical and done really well. I love it.