Oi! Get Off Our Train

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Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. As they go along they encounter a variety of animals, all of whom, for very good reasons, want to get on the train but initially the boy's answer is 'Oi! The heron tells the boy that he cannot leave the train because his marsh is being drained, and he cannot live on dry land.

The way in which each added character was presented in their own setting and adopted into the group (the train) shows how stepping out of your comfort zone and into that of another can forge bonds and friendships which you would otherwise miss out on.John Burningham studied illustration and graphic design at the Central School of Art, graduating with distinction in 1959.

each animal is allowed to stay, after explaining why it has to leave its own habitat - the elephant because someone wants to cut off its tusks, the stork because the marshland is being drained, and so on.But the animals each give a very good reason for wanting to be on the train, for instance the first of them, an elephant, says, 'Someone is coming to cut off my tusks, and soon there will be none of us left. For example the elephant says "Someone is coming to cut off my tusks, and soon there will be none of us left. The illustrations were gorgeous but the storyline was made up of animals getting on the imaginary train and then plaintively stating their imminent extinction. I’m 100% for saving the polar bears and raising awareness of these issues with children but this was a strange way to do it.

Teachers and parents can get a lot of traction from this topic via creatively extending the concept of being kind to our planet. On the journey, a variety of animals ask to get on the train – each one is initially refused, but they all have a reason to get on, so they’re allowed. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.

He visits many different habitats where endangered animals beg a lift on the train to escape their impending extinction, brought about by the thoughtlessness and greed of those who misuse the environment. It is one of my favourites for this age range, follow the journey of a boy and his dog, travelling across the globe on their train, picking up animals on the way.