| Audio | Visual |
|---|---|
| A Tale of Two Little Engines: Together they could! As told by Marc Buchanan. Illustrated by Dale Beisel. |
A long train climbs a steep hill. A red engine with a cheerful, but hard-working face pulls the train from the front. A blue engine with happy eyes pushes the train from behind. |
| A little red engine was pulling a long train of cars full of toys and books. The toys and books were for children who lived on the other side of a steep mountain. The little red engine chugged along confidently until the mountain became too steep to go any farther. | Train tracks run from a train yard up to the top of a snowy mountain. |
| The little red engine tugged and tugged with all its might.
The little red engine huffed and puffed.
No matter how hard it tried, it could not pull its long train of cars any farther. The little red engine rolled back to the crossroads at the base of the mountain, where other engines sometimes passed. "Surely someone will come along and help me," thought the little red engine. |
The tracks slope steeply upward. Steam rises from the little red engine as it tries to pull the train. |
| Soon a shiny new engine came by.
This engine looked very strong, so the little red engine asked, "Will you help me pull my train of cars over the mountain?
I need to deliver this load of toys and books to the children on the other side." The shiny new engine looked down at the little red engine and answered, "Don't you see that I am finished with my day's work? I am shined and polished for tomorrow's run. I do not want to get dirty again. Sorry, I cannot help you." The shiny new engine quickly went on its way. |
Two sets of tracks run next to each other. The little red engine sits on one set of tracks. A different engine rolls up on the other set. |
| After a while, a grand old engine came along.
It huffed and puffed, as if it were very tired. The little red engine asked the grand old engine, "Will you help me pull my train of cars over the mountain? I need to deliver this load of toys and books to the children on the other side." The grand old engine looked toward the little red engine and answered, "I have just finished a long long run. Don't you see how tired I am? Please get some other engine to help you." The grand old engine slowly huffed and puffed on its way. |
The grand old engine wears glasses and a grey mustache! |
| After a while, a little blue engine came along. This engine was small, just like the little red engine. | The little red engine looks hopefully toward the little blue engine. |
| It seemed useless to ask the little blue engine for help, but the little red engine asked anyway. "Little blue engine, will you help me over the mountain with my long train of cars? It is so heavy. I can't pull it over myself." "Yes indeed!" said the little blue engine. "I'll be glad to help you, if I can." |
The little blue engine smiles cheerfully. |
| The two little engines worked as a team.
The little red engine went to the head of the train of cars, and the little blue engine went to the end of it. Puff, puff! Chug, chug! Choo, choo! Off they started. Slowly the cars began to move. Slowly they climbed the steep mountainside. |
The little blue engine has bumpers in front to help it push! |
| As they climbed, the two little engines chanted together:
"I think we can! I think we can!
I think we can! I think we can!
I think we can! I think we can!
I think we can!" And they did! Soon they reached the snowy mountaintop. |
The two engines reach the steep part of the mountain. The little engines push and pull with all their might! |
| As they chugged joyfully down the other side, the two little engines chanted:
"I knew we could! I knew we could!
I knew we could! I knew we could!
I knew we could! I knew we could!
I knew we could!" When they reached the bottom of the mountain, the little red engine could pull the train of cars on its own. "Thank you little blue engine!" the little red engine said. The little blue engine said goodbye, "Toot, toot!" and continued cheerfully on its way. |
The track leads down the mountain into a green, open valley. The little blue engine heads away on a fork in the tracks. |
| The little red engine reached the children at last, pulling the long train of cars loaded with toys and books.
Everyone was happy. THE END |
Children run to the tracks with smiles on their faces as the train rolls into town. |