The Little Red Caboose
The little red caboose always came last. By the time the little red caboose came along, the boys and girls were turning away. "How I wish I were a big black engine, puffing and chuffing way up at the front of the train! But I'm just the little old red caboose. Nobody cares for me." The train went slower and slower and s-l-o-w-e-r. It looked as if that train could not get up the mountain. The little red caboose slammed on his brakes. And he held tight to the tracks. And he kept that train from sliding down the mountain! Now, children wave at the big black engine and at all the cars. But they save their biggest waves for the little red caboose. Because the little red caboose saved the train.
Stats for nerds
1recommend
2mentions
2people
2016–2026years
50% recommend50% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Favorites When I Was Younger:
The Monster at the End of this Book
The Little Red Caboose
Favorites to Read to Kids:
The Hiccupotamus
Dear Zoo
The Sneetches
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
Pete the Cat (I Love My White Shoes or His Four Groovy Buttons)
Favorite Authors: Mo Willems, Sandra Boynton
- Keep in mind that the point of these exercises is to make instructions, explanations and short narratives more approachable.
If describing something with a limited vocabulary is awkward and impossible, maybe your approach is too complex.
My 4 year old is starting to learn how to read, and you can see in his eyes the connections made when he tries to read a basic level book. The sentence structure is obvious and predictable, and he's pretty good at getting it.
With a more complex book (Ex: The Little Red Caboose), he recognizes words and "paraphrases" the story with the pictures.
