A Train to the City

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Micki and Daniel are country kids with interesting talents and pets.
Micki likes to dance and has a miniature pony named Pegasus. Daniel
plays the violin and has a red parrot named Ooloo Mooloo. Both children
want to go to the city to see the parks and museums, but somehow their
parents never seem to get around to arranging the trip. Micki and
Daniel, therefore, decide to go on their own and take their pets with
them.

The result is a cute but uneventful trip to the city. The biggest
obstacle the children encounter is sneaking a pony and a parrot onto the
train. Once in the city, they never get around to seeing the zoo or
museum but they meet a lot of nice people, and their pony, Pegasus,
eventually finds a way for all four of them to get back home.

Wendy Orr’s story and Ruth Ohi’s artwork are both competent. Some
parents might have worries that this story seems to encourage children
to take train trips on their own. Recommended.