Doing some shopping, and trying to remember some of the books from my youth to pass along. I recall "The Caboose Who Got Loose", and I seem to remember reading several other books from the same publishing period that had great train illustrations whose titles elude me.
Any good suggestions? What titles do you put in the kid's hands?
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Any original Railway Series books (aka Thomas) are great.
Smokey
Tootle
Pano the Train
Caboose Who Got Loose
Little Engine that Could
Polar Express
Bill Peet (who wrote Caboose Who Got Loose and Smokey), also wrote many other non train books as well.
Unfortunately (at least in my opinion), a lot of these books have been re-illustrated and no longer contain the hand drawn and colored illustrations. I'm sure you can still find older copies. I'm real glad my parents saved mine (in varying states of "read the cover off").
I second "Tootle" and would also recommend:
I had all three as a youngster and subsequently made sure my own son was provided with copies as well. They can be considered staples for budding railroaders.
Here's another title which I subsequently acquired. I believe it's now out of print and new copies can get pricey; however, Amazon currently lists a number of used copies at affordable prices:
Good luck in your search.
Bob
The LITTLE ENGINE...has its own sound board. If you say "I think I can", fast enough, it does sound like a steamer working hard. After the hard part was over, the "I thought I could." sounds like an engine drafting down a hill.....
My kids always enjoyed "Niccolini's Song", by Chuck Wolcoxen.
Tootle, was always my favorite.
My oldest son's two favorite stories were "Mr. Pufferbill and his Red Bandanna" and "A Train named Joe". I would read the story and he would provide all the train sounds and animal sounds as the story progressed. We read those stories so often that over time he knew them by heart so all I had to do was hold the book and turn the pages and he would "read" the story to me.
Donald Duck's Toy Train was one of my favorites as a boy, and it's now a favorite of my 2-year-old son:
This book has been my Railway bible for the past half century. It was published in 1910, is most beautifully written, and contains an absolute wealth of information. Although it is intended for children, it is suitable for all ages. I wouldn't care to be without this book. 
A more recent one about Porter Blair's roll in the fire is
John Blair and the Great Hinckley Fire by Josephine Nobisso
Other authors: Ted Rose
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (2000)
Tootle, was always my favorite.
Tootle was a poor role model for a train. He wanted to wander off into the fields to play. They had to Train him to stay on the tracks. LOL!
Looks like his connecting rods are scrambled too. Even as a kid, I think that would have bothered me.
"Tootle" and "Little Red Caboose" sound familiar, although it has been over 50 years since I last saw those books.
Last year I picked up a copy of "Roundabout Train", which I distinctly remember from my early years.
I loved this book as a kid. In 3rd grade, I used this as my first-ever book report. I was very proud of myself! It was short-lived though. My teacher, Mrs. Baetzel who I was in love with (she was my Mrs. Landers from 'Leave It to Beaver'), said, "Guy, Im disappointed you didnt read a much harder book!"
As a teacher nearing retirement, I keep "Roundabout Train" on my desk and tell my students that Im not a big fan of book reports as a way of sharing books we love, and then I tell them my story after reading the book to them.
in retrospect, i think i would have enjoyed this one a bit earlier in life...
Funny you should mention the Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia in a thread about books for kids. Along with the children's titles mentioned above, also among my first group of books were several Lucius Beebe titles. I think I may have set a record for the youngest owner ever of those books. I even had my first copy of Kalmbach's Diesel Spotter's Guide and was actively using it before I turned 10. I guess that's what happens when you're born into a family of railfans.
Bob
Train Coming!
Mom read this to me every night. a few years ago the wife and I were in an antique shop and I found a copy. I held it up with the pages facing my wife, and I read it word for word! Now it has a place in the train room with my other books.
Funny you should mention the Steam Locomotive Cyclopedia in a thread about books for kids. ..
the other books mentioned here might be helpful in teaching reading skills, but i can think of numerous ways the Cyclopedia can be of value at any young age...
1) pictures, pictures, pictures... no cute faces on the front of the engines, but you might be in for hours of "what's that?" questions.
2) math... count the drivers... learn to multiply by 2x... teach the Whyte system (certainly not rocket science)
3) vocabulary... i can think of dozens of words that will have a visual reference and applicable to more than just locomotives. teach them to pronounce Clerestory, Walschaerts & cupola and they'll have a leg up on 99% of adults.
4) geography... have a map on hand to show them where those locomotives ran.
5) science... don't get me started.
The Little Engine That Could was a favorite of my Grandson and Son.
What a fun topic. I remember "Roundabout Train" very well. I also liked "The Train" by David McPhail.
A little boy is playing with trains before bed, and then Dad tucks him in. As he sleeps he dreams that his trains are life size and he is riding along. The illustrations are very clever, as you see his stuffed animals are part of the train crew.
For an older kid I'd recommend "How to Run a Railroad" by Harvey Weiss.
http://www.jacketflap.com/harvey-weiss/60117
I took it out of the library many times in 4th-5th grade and finally got my own copy for Christmas that year. It includes age and skill-appropriate projects, of the kind that "Toy Trains" might have run back in the day, and is written in a very clear, approachable style. You'd have to find it used, but I was happy to note that my local library still has a copy.
Donald Duck's Toy Train was one of my favorites as a boy, and it's now a favorite of my 2-year-old son:
another vote for this one, ...a book i still have.
made into (or from?) "Out of Scale" cartoon feature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH7vb71oy_M
On the Blue Comet, by Rosemary Wells, is aimed at kids around 10. Model trains (there is a picture of a model - tin plate - Blue Comet on the cover), real trains, celebrity, time travel, etc. Pretty nice for a kid. Lots of adventure.
..."Out of Scale" cartoon feature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH7vb71oy_M
Fun video, Thanks for posting! Donald has an entire backyard of miniature railway!
I wouldn't recommend On the Blue Comet unless you have an extremely high tolerance for mistakes of all kinds (of course, if you are going to give it to someone and don't plan on reading it yourself then I guess it won't matter).
I think the book was well meant but if an author is going to use real history as a support for various aspects of the story then the author needs to take the time to make sure those facts are correct. The errors with respect to toy train history are just unbelieveable and the historical errors aren't much better.
My personal guess, with respect to the authors source of toy train history, is that the source was someone who collects and runs modern tinplate and who either had little knowledge of pre-war tinplate or whose advice concerning pre-war tin was ignored.
On the other hand, if you are in the mood for a snark hunt with respect to mistakes then this just might be the book for you.
Ah, Memory Lane...my favorite route!
I won't repeat Tootle, Red Caboose, Donald Duck's Train...all favorites yet in my 'library', but here's a sampling of my top shelf...
The latter, Little Engine That Could, is apparently the favorite of many. The copy I have is apparently a first edition (1930). What's interesting to me is that it's one of a Watty Piper series of books called the Never Grow Old Series. How appropriate! Also, the story line for TLETC was originally from The Pony Engine, by Mabel C. Bragg, per the frontispiece.
Another of my favorites was/is The Big Book of Real Locomotives, "with full color pull-out pictures, each 3 feet long!" Talk about an eye-popping dream-book for a toddling train junky!! But the book was too big for my scanner to post here quickly.
Oh man, I may have to read some of these tonight! Timeless....
KD
My favorite is Choo-Choo: The Story of the Runaway Engine. It was written in the late 30's and has been re-printed many times.
Peter
Mr Punnymoon's Train...I forgot about that one! another I used to have.
I used to read "The Polar Express" to my sons when they were young.
Al K.
When I was very young I loved the "Little Engine That Could"! My children liked it as well. I think I still have the book backed in a box somewhere. Bo 
Visit my website Bo's Trains at http://www.bostrains.com
Love The Big Book of Real Trains by George Zaffo. I still have this one and its sister book The Big Book of Fire Engines. He also did books on ships and construction trucks.
All of the books here are bringing back memories. But how about this one for the older kids..... Jeff Roberts, Railroader by Edward Ford. Good read for a middle school aged kid.
Regards
I recommend the original Thomas the Tank Engine stories. Not necessarily this beautiful set. 
Virginia Lee Burton (Mike Mulligan) also wrote and illustrated The Little House, which has some nice train content, particularly if you like trolleys, els, and subways. I really
like the art style.
"Roundabout Train" was published in 1958 and reflects the steam to diesel transition era. When a rude and self-important diesel comes to Tinytown, a wise old steam engine sends him on a circular route around a hill (like a model railroad?). The diesel is annoyed that a caboose is on the tracks ahead of him, not realizing it's the end of his own train. The steam locos all have a good laugh about this. The diesel learns a lesson in humility.
The entire book can be viewed here:
http://us.myspace.com/edwiners...geId%22%3A6522834%7D
Thank you all for your replies. Lots of great ideas here, and I've been ordering from Amazon!
Can't forget the "Polar Express Book".
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