My 18 month old grandson loves this book. He insists on it being read to him, usually 5 times in a row at each reading session.

This is our third copy of this book. My children have literally loved this book to shreds. Even before children can speak words, they love to learn the sounds of animals -- especially easily identifiable farm animals. Thomas picks up cars filled with cows, pigs, horses, and ducks -- on each page, the child and I make the animal's sound. I am considering buying a couple more to save for the next generation of Thomas the Tank lovers

Thomas the Train has delighted babies and toddlers for years. But the real treasure is the zany illustrations and attention to detail that illustrator Owain Bell creates in his world. The illustrations are a source of humor for children and adults... but you must take care to point this out to your child. Trains ride by men falling from ladders, grandma's snoring in the back of cars, and all under the guise of "Mr. Topham" who is modeled after the Vanderbuilts. I love this book, it just keeps on going.

Although my 2 year old adores trains, I resisted introducing him to the Thomas series of merchandise, books, and videos because I've heard it can be an expensive addiction. I also was turned off by the one Thomas video I saw because I dislike the creepy rolling eyes in the traditional films. However, I saw found this book in a used book store and decided to get it. The text is not so excessive that it would bore a toddler, but is a nice graduation up from simple rhyming books. It doesn't have a "plot," but is a great preparation for longer stories.

Each character is introduced with photos from the Shining Time Station video. When they eyes aren't rolling around manaically, I can handle it (!). My 2 year old loves this book and I've read it countless times.

My only gripe with the book is that the section on the freight cars ("troublesome trucks" in other books) does not have an accompanying photo that makes it clear who is being described. A close up of a single car would have been better. Also, because several of the trains are the same color, it can be hard for a toddler to distinguish them, but that's not a problem with the book. It does create the opportunity to ask a child to identify the numbers on the side of the different trains.

This book is a great stand-alone Thomas book for any toddler who loves trains.

My 2 year old son adores this book! I've read it to him so many times and he never tires of it.

When my 3-yr old takes an interest in something, it usually becomes an all-out obsession: dinosaurs, construction vehicles, space and so it continues with Thomas the Tank Engine. We've read other books and rented videos, but these books (there are four in this series) are his beloved. The stories are simple and plentiful with a bit of a moral to them, without being pretentious or zealous. The writing style is delightful: adult enough not to bore the reader and yet perfectly understandable for the listener (assuming it's a child!). The pictures are clear but not movie or television tie-ins - it makes them more lovable! The books are small and my son loves to stack them and carry them around with him.

If your child loves Thomas and you're tired of media tie-ins, these books are for you!

This book is a hit with my three-and-a-half-year old. Not only are the four stories interesting enough to hold his attention, but the ample illustrations are charming. Also, the relatively small size of the book makes it perfect for small hands to hold when the child "reads" it to himself. The stories are sweet without being cloying. The language is fairly sophisticated (in other words, the book doesn't talk down to kids, which is great), but accessible. The stories have kind of an old-fashioned feel, -- after all, we are talking about steam engines -- but their upbeat messages are just as relevant for kids today. For instance, Thomas learns how to work with others and how NOT to "judge a book by its cover". This book will probably be a favorite in our house for some years to come!

It's great to introduce ABCs with someone my toddler already loves, THOMAS! He also loves coloring, and now we can dislplay his work and talk about the letters in the book. Great for learning.

My toddler hasn't stopped coloring. He loves it! There's a train on almost every page.

My little Thomas loves this book! He loves all the flaps and has nearly read the book to pieces. Bright colors, animals, children, so many things for him to enjoy. He's only 2, and he has enjoyed this book since he was old enough to listen to Mommy reading. I highly recommend this book!

My son absolutely loves this book! We started reading it together when he was just a year old, and he still loves it. Several months ago our original was ruined while on a trip (juice cup leaked and stuck the board-pages together). Since it was a shower gift, I had no idea where to find it. On a whim (since it's now the holiday season) I looked here on Amazon.com and am ecstatic to find it! I can't wait to see my son's face on Christmas when he sees his beloved Thomas book. The story is very simple, following Thomas through his day, and the pictures allow for many imagination-side-trips. All in all, I'm happy to add this (again!) to our library.

Both my sons (ages 1 & 3) love this book - it's their favorite bed-time story, with it's colorful illustration and fun/humorous storyline. They even pretend to read the story themselves, as they point to the egg on Thomas' nose & giggle. It's a delightful storybook for little ones.

My son has loved Thomas the tank engine trains, stories, and videos since he was 2.5yrs old. We've progressed from simple board books to more complicated story lines. Since we purchased this book, he has wanted me to read it to him every night. I like the fact that the words are large enough so that we can start word identification, and the story is interesting as well! Also, all the popular engines are illustrated in full color and their numbers are evident for both color and number recognition. I want to know where we can buy more Dr Seuss beginner books with Thomas the Tank engine stories! Additionally, there are some adorable rhymes in this volume that are reminiscent of Dr Seuss.

1,000 words aren't nearly enough, so I'll try to keep it brief. The stories in this book entranced me and my now-3-year-old daughter. The subject matter appeals to children as young as 2, but is written at a level appropriate for much older children and includes a great deal of actual technical detail.

My daughter REQUIRES these stories before bed, and I love reading them to her. If we cannot read to her, she will sit alone with this book, look at the handsome illustrations, and create stories, using the same style that Awdry uses. It has dramatically expanded her vocabulary and her sentence structure. Her desire to read the stories has focused her attention on learning to read (next, I'll post a review of "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Lessons").

My daughter's love of the stories has led to a yearning to experience all railroad-related things, including museum exhibits, History Channel documentaries, scenic railroads, festivals-- all of which has enriched our family outings and vacations. She is now interested in anything to do with Scotland, England, and Wales because they are the origins of the trains in the book. The book has given her a greater understanding of trains and railroads than the vast majority of adults have.

Obviously, not every child will respond the same way. But I cannot imagine a children's book that could have yielded greater rewards than the Thomas book has for us.

This is a excellent book and difinative collection of all of the original Thomas the Tank engine stories by Rev. W.V. Awdry. This deals with all the original characters prior to the recent real commercialization of Thomas. It also gives bonus materials about how/why the stories were created, who certain characters were based upon, and the three artists involved. The language is original, done in the colloquialisms of the time in England. Example: pay him out - for - pay him back. Some language we also discourage in our home (eg: shut up) are used, but we live in different times. There are also some hard to pronounce Scottish brogues used when Donald and Douglas are speaking. I had to change some language and pronounciations for my little ones, and me. It's a large, hefty but easy to read book of about 400 pages. There are reproductions of 99% of the original artwork which is colourful and detailed. It is well used in my household. This, like all books, have lead to great quality time with my boys involving discussions, imagination and then Thoams storey making of their own. I highly recommend it

We bought this book a year ago, and my son still enjoys listening to the stories. He has heard each at least three times, some of them many more times besides. As his mother, who has read through the book with him twice myself, *I* love the stories, too! They teach good lessons and are very entertaining at the same time.

It actually is not true that all Thomas stories are in this book. All the original stories by the original author are, but more stories have been made up by less skilled story writers, in my opinion. The BEST Thomas stories are the ones in this book.

The shorter story books have been Americanized, and I think that makes them lose some of their appeal. For instance, the Fat Controller in this book has been renamed in the shorter books and videos to his proper name, "Sir Topham Hatt." Political correctness meets Thomas the Tank Engine. In my opinion, they were better unchanged, and that is what you have in this book.

If you have a toddler, I highly recommend this book. One word of warning, though. Then come the Thomas train sets, and the videos . . . you will never be through with Thomas once you start!

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my three-year-old daughter, who like millions of other children around the world, is a huge fan of Thomas the Tank Engine. Like a previous reviewer I highly recommend using a flashlight or lantern to make the glow-in-the-dark ink work properly, plus your child will love shining the light on the pages for themselves and discovering which of the illustrations "light up." This is made to be a fun book, with the effects far outweighing the story itself. So if you're expecting one of the charming Thomas stories in the tradition of the originals this is not it. However it will be a book requested over and over again, so it's worth getting.

This is a fun book for any Thomas fan. It is best to read at night or where it is dark. At the end of the page, turn out the lights and watch Thomas glow. The story line is simple and the added bonus of turning out the lights makes it a fun read for kids.

Thomas is delivering toys to the children at a hospital, when rocks break his headlights! But not to worry, he gets help along the way from a helpful farmer with a lantern, a store owner with christmas lights, fireflies, and 2 motorcycle cops. I was not very impressed with the glow-in-the-dark part of the book at first, but then my husband tried it with our battery-powered coleman lantern and then the graphics were great!