“The Little Engine That Could”
by Watty Piper illustrated by George and Doris Hauman.
Platt & Munk, New York, 1930, 32 pages, Grades Preschool-2.
Perseverance is one of the greatest qualities people can develop. Usually, this trait grows through difficult life experiences in which failure is quite possible. While it is easy to simply give up when faced with challenging problems, maturity only comes to people taking responsibility for their own lives and addressing these issues. Since this type of change comes through a series of demanding events, perseverance is the virtue needed to be successful. Watty Piper wrote one of the all-time favorite books in children’s literature on this subject. It features a small train trying to accomplish a large feat. Beloved for over 80 years, Piper’s tale is named “The Little Engine That Could.”
A red train is loaded with toys, fruit, stuffed animals and other presents for the children living on the other side of the mountain. All of the animals and toys are excited to be given to the eager children the next morning. As they are cheerfully chugging along the railroad tracks the train comes to an abrupt halt. The toy clown and other stuffed animals jump down and quickly see that the train is broken down. They don’t know what to do. The clown thinks quickly and decides to ask another train to pull them over the mountain. The first train they see is a powerful, massive passenger train. They explain their plight to the passenger train only to be laughed at. The passenger train scornfully tells the stuffed animal that he is much too important to concern himself with such an insignificant train as theirs. With that he pridefully chugs away, leaving them abandoned. But another train soon appears on the horizon and the toys and dolls begin to hope that they will be helped. This train is a large, shiny black locomotive. Clearly, it would have no trouble pulling the red train over the mountains. The clown and dolls plead with the black locomotive to help them. The black train looks at the stuffed animals, fruit and presents and dismisses their request. He states that he is a freight train that has just crossed the mountain carrying important things like paper and printing presses. Looking at all the pleading faces, the freight train tells them that they are not important enough for him to waste his time pulling them over the mountain.
Another train comes by, but this train is tired and defeated. When the clown and dolls ask for help, the old train regretfully states that it cannot pull the train over the mountain. With this he leaves sadly saying “I cannot, I cannot.” The toys and dolls are almost crying when they look up and see a small blue train appear on the horizon. They stop the train and ask for help. The blue train says that she is just a small train but will do what she can. It hooks up to the red train and slowly tries pulling the larger train with its many cars. All the time she says: “I think I can, I think I can.” It begins to gain speed.
What happens? Does the little blue train cross the mountain with the toys and presents for the children on the other side? How does the little train’s attitude make all the difference in the world? How is the train’s perseverance rewarded? To find out, go to the library and checkout this delightful title, “The Little Engine That Could,” by Watty Piper.
The powerful message of this book continues to endure through the generations. Since the little blue train told herself that she could, she did. The pictures are enjoyable and the story is refreshing. I encourage you to read this to any child having struggles. The book is simply lovely. Enjoy!
