The Big Book of Trains (by Christine Heap)

What better way to convey in a book the majesty of a train than a huge 13-inch-by-10-inch photo of one? Even readers who aren't train buffs will enjoy examining these pictures over and over again. The size of the photographs and the book itself are especially appropriate for kids 7 and younger, but older children are more likely to enjoy the text details.

For older kids, a few questions yearn to be answered in the next printing. The section on monorail trains mentions that most have only two cars, but one child immediately asked why that was true. Another wanted to know whether most steam trains ran on both steam and coal, or just coal, after the text pointed out that both configurations existed. But these are minor quibbles -- overall, this is a great book for curious kids.