Review: Locomotive

Locomotive by Brian Floca

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This is the first in a pile Lu Benke supplied me of 2014 Caldecott hopefuls.

As a history book (well-sourced), I couldn't help but compare it to Yin & Sontpiet's [b:Coolies|997308|Coolies|Yin|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1309203721s/997308.jpg|982801] which did so much to complicate the story of the transcontinental railroad with underlying cruelties and injustices of labor. Locomotive did absolutely none of that. In a day when we have access to so many historical tools and lenses, all this book did was celebrate the ride.

There are so many tools writers have to present complicated visual and text narratives. I was disappointed even though this book used a variety of visual techniques, none of them were used to create various paths for the narrative to take. Floca hinted at the possibility with one small mention of the buffalo and Indians. But with no treatment he let this thread go. You don't have to villify America to call into question the ugliness that accompanied the great achievements. We have to continue to own these difficulties, or else we learn nothing from history. Bolden's [b:Emancipation Proclamation|13591146|Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty|Tonya Bolden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344718824s/13591146.jpg|19179179] was very good at challenging the mythology without oversimplifying it into villainy.

Otherwise Floca and the editorial team pulled out all the stops--it was a beautiful visual book. Floca's mastery of watercolor is obvious, and he shows this by presenting a variety of different kinds of images in a believable palette. This is why I rated 3 instead of 2. No designer was credited, which is unfortunate, because it makes me think Floca did all that work. This is possible but shouldn't be in question on a book with this high production quality.

The story was clear and the facts and point of view of taking an early ride were interesting enough that I didn't think it was a waste of time--an enjoyable picturebook. But for a work of history to be in contention for Caldecott or Newbery it should do more to provide alternate readings. In fact, the standard of which books should make it into hard cover, full-color process is always a looming question. I don't think 2nd and 3rd rate books should even go to paper printing in our day and age--we should really push on the market so that only the best books get put to paper and all the rest can go to e-devices.



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