The Little Engine That Could

Title: The little engine that could

Author: Watty Piper

Illustrator: Loren Long

Medium: Picture book, water colours

Genre: Modern fantasy

Summary: This is a story about a long train carrying toys and food items for kids. While going over a high mountain the train gets stuck. Attempts to get help from passers-by big engines is proven abortive, as they all refuse to do so for various reasons. Then came a  little blue engine that did not look like it was capable of helping the long train, but to the surprise all, the little engine successfully pulled the long-loaded-train up the hill and to its destination while repeating a simple sentence; "I think I can".

Literary Elements: The key literary element in this book is the personification of the trains and engines that are part of this story: dolls crying, the trains speaking. These elements constitute the genre of this book which is a modern fantasy. There are also onomatopoeic words such as puff puff, Ding-dong that are used to represent the sounds of the engines and the repetition of  "I Think I can" sounds like a poem or song that cheers those who are involved in a demanding activity such as pulling a huge train full of toys a food items up and down the hill. The setting is the outdoors which depicts the time period when the events take place. The story line is fluent--a narration that is interrupted from time to time with dialogues between the engines.

Evaluation: This a great picture book not only in terms of the beauty of the pictures but mostly in terms of the lesson that one can learn from it. Though simple and short, the little sentence, "I think I can" is the motivating factor behind the zeal manifested by the little engine that succored the long stranded train. This simple sentence is what the other trains lacked and hid themselves behind all kinds of reasons.  What I see here is that there are incapacitating thoughts and words that have kept many from reaching out and accomplishing great things for themselves and for others, which I believe the students should be able to point out as they read this story so that they may learn to trust their personal abilities and speak words that are self- motivating and can also motivate others. The book also shows the importance of team work for the accomplishment of a given task and  purpose.

Social Justice Element: Social Action:

The book vividly represents a social action element which can be seen in both the supplies carried by the long train that got stuck and the little train that provided the much needed help. The little blue did not give reasons why it could not help; instead it reached out and acted positively turning what seemed like a desperate situation into a beautiful rescue mission. 

Follow -Up Activity: 

Students could be asked to think and write down the activities they can do and be willing to collaborate with one another in groups or teams to carry them out for the benefit of others. By so doing the will learn the value of team work and assistance to those in need in school or in their neighborhoods.