Orphan Train by Verla Kay

Orphan Train Reviews

• 
  NS- Sarah

  This book is one of many stories about the many children who were orphaned between the 1850's and the 1930's due to issues of overcrowding, illnesses, and poverty. At first I didn't like the book because I thought it didn't explain why the children were sent away on the orphan train. After reading it a second time I understood it better because I was able to pay attention to the details. The book is written in rhyme, almost like a poem, so it is easy to read it too quickly and lose some of the important details like I did. The story takes you through the many emotions of the children such as fear, exhaustion, wonder, sadness, confusion, hunger, hope, relief and happiness. It makes you wonder if this book is an accurate portrayal of this time and of what happened to so many children during that time. I thought the illustrations as well as the rhyming text really have a strong affect on the reader. By the end of the book I had so many feelings for the characters just because I felt the realism of the events not because I felt like I new the characters. I actually was not impressed with the character development and would have liked there to be more. This is an example of historical fiction that I do enjoy. I think kids could learn a lot from it as well with some teacher support.
• 
  Marla

  Picture book about orphan siblings who are sent by train to the Midwest when their orphanage is over crowded. Sad stuff, but would be good for a history lesson supplement for pre-school or kindergarten.
• 
  Helen

  This book is a very moving portrayal of children on an orphan train. It uses short poems with great illustrations to show the poignancy of the events.
• 
  White House Public Library

  Beautiful illustrations bring this story of three siblings who wind up on the Orphan Train in the early 1900s to life. With short, rhyming lines, readers can experience what it was like to grow up in the United States during this time period. The pictures especially help to portray the hard times that Lucy, Harold, and David had to go through. The author includes an author's note at the beginning of the story explaining Orphan Trains and what life was like once an orphan was adopted. While she does mention that some children were unfortunate in being adopted into unloving families, she shows us the other side of the story showing us how Lucy and Harold were adopted into loving families.
• 
  Library Lady Terri

  Story told in verse of Lucy and her brothers becoming orphans, taken in by the orphanage, and then finally sent west on the Orphan Trains. Enough information given for children to understand the idea of Orphan Trains but not so much information as to overwhelm the reader. There is a forward that discuss the Orphan Train movement and the less than ideal situations that some children found themselves in as a result.
  The illustrations, doing in acrylics, provide so much more detail if when you take the time to really explore them.
• 
  Cat

  This is the story of orphans removed from the east coast after an outbreak of illness kills their parents. They are taken on a train to the midwest to live with farmers and country folk, many taken in only to work. Siblings were parted, never to see each other again. It is written in poetry form. The story is gripping and the pictures are beautiful. The illustrator is Ken Stark. This book is based on true events.
• 
  SKB

  Dudes, I totally cried when I read this book to my nieces. Beautifully illustrated too. But seriously, it will choke you up.
• 
  Kathryn

  A story in verse with colorful illustrations. This tells the story of what was done with thousands of children between 1854 and 1929.
• 
  Laurie

  This book uses as few words as possible to get the point across, yet you still feel all the emotions meant to be relayed. This will make a great teaching point for a writing lesson someday.
• 
  Janas

  Beautiful picture book telling an important story.
• 
  Carol

  I read this to preview it for my granddaughter. It is sad but ultimately very rewarding to read. It has made me interested in the orphan train experience in the early 1900’s. My ancestors in the south were fortunate to live on farms and have thriving families but from the stories I heard the boys worked extremely hard on the farm like the orphan train boys. This was a good little book with beautiful illustrations.