My Grandpa Plays with Trains

Elizabeth Levin is a professor of psychology at Laurentian University.

Alex visits with his grandpa every Saturday and together they play with
grandpa’s extensive train collection. Each school day, Alex and
grandpa talk on the telephone about trains and friends and how they
can’t wait for the weekend to roll round again. But as much as Alex
misses grandpa during the week, he also misses his friend Devony who has
moved away. He always wanted to show her his grandpa’s trains.
Finally, Alex gets to invite Devony for the weekend. When he shows her
the enormous collection of trains, at first she is so transfixed by them
that Alex worries she likes neither him nor the trains, but soon she
lets out a giant train whistle. Then she asks Alex if she can bring her
grandfather to see the trains the next week.

This tender story about the relationship between a boy and his
grandfather is complemented by rich photographs of the antique trains,
which clearly convey the splendor of the collection and will make you
want to get out a train set and play. Recommended.