Thomas and Friends Engine Stories

"Mummy, look, his eyes are moving!" (Eddie)
We don't have The Works in town, but whenever I go to Oxford, I try to pop in and browse at leisure. I usually end up buying a couple of books for my sons, envelopes and some crafts goodies.
My younger son is a big fan of Thomas the tank engine series of books. I was delighted to have a chance to choose a book from the range at The Works for reviewing, and picked a book which I knew would appeal to my son - Thomas and Friends Engine Stories.

My son was overjoyed when the packet arrived with a book for him. We have quite a few Thomas the tank engine books, but haven't read the stories in this one.
There are two lovely stories: Thomas and the Naughty Trick & Gordon and the Engineer.
You meet the classic characters: Thomas, Gordon, Rusty, Sir Handel and others.

The first story is about Thomas and his new whistle.
"The whistle gleamed... and Thomas beamed! he blew his new whistle all day long. He blew it softly... and he blew it LOUDLY!"
Sounds familiar? My Eddie is absolutely the same, give him a whistle, and you will regret it. After a day or two I tend to "forget" where I put it, so that we are spared the constant whistling.

Thomas is a lovable character, with a huge appeal to little people, because he is "one of them". He enjoys playing, he is often naughty but usually he behaves himself after a reprimand from the Fat Controller (or the Thin Controller). His noisy games often land him in trouble, but you cannot stop loving him, he's so cheerful and funny.

The second story is about Gordon. He usually thinks he's the most important engine, and this time he makes a big mistake. He later learns that teamwork is paramount, and all engines are important.

Both stories are quite didactic (as all the Railway Series by the Reverend W Awdry). They are timeless, and even a bit old-fashioned, but in a good sense. It is good to have a moral in the story, so that younger children could relate to it and be inspired.

The illustrations are lovely, featuring all the familiar characters.
The magical cover has a moving image, with Thomas and Harold the helicopter.

Eddie loved the book, and we already read it a few times. He also enjoys answering the questions of two quizes which come after each story.

If your little person is a fan of Thomas & Friends, you can buy a copy of this book in The Works, and at £2.99 it is a good bargain.

Disclosure: we received a copy of the book for the purposes of writing a review. All opinions are mine.