Crossing    by Philip Booth & Bagram Ibatoulline Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2013 (2001) Hardcover, Softcover      Reviewed by Bob Walch As a child I can remember reading box cars with my grandfather as we sat near a rail line and watched freight trains pass. Those memories resurfaced as I looked through this nostalgic book. Philip Booth's vintage poem captures the old days as a steam engine pulling a string of cars chugs past a crossing in a small town. The small child at the crossing is urged to 'count the cars' as the train passes. There are B & M, Erie, Wabash, Seaboard and U.P. box cars, a Frisco gondola, a Pennsy tank car, and a Santa Fe cattle car, plus a Rock Island flatcar loaded with pipe, and a string of coal hoppers. As the small, red caboose rolls into sight, the total is just under 100 hundred cars, which means it was a pretty long wait at the crossing. No matter, though, everyone has had fun counting and identifying all the different cars and railroad insignias. This prize winning picture book has become a railroad classic. If you don't have a copy already, this inexpensive soft cover edition would be a great way of introducing your child or grandchild to the joys of train spotting! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews