T is for Thomas the Tank Engine: Library Notes

Over 75 years ago (in 1945) Wilbert Audry began creating a series of books called The Railway Series with several characters, Engine 1 (Thomas) being the main character.  The stories of Thomas the Tank Engine were created to accompany a wooden train he had given to his son, Christopher, that were later published.  Thomas as we know him today was a later design created by Reginald Payne who was hired to illustrate the book.  He based each of the trains on prototypes in existence at the time. 

The beauty of the series and it's longevity is due to the fact it is based on a timeless series of stories shared between a father and his son.  Awdry had found a way to spend quality time interacting with his son with the added bonus of expanding Christopher's interest in the toy and the imaginary world of trains who could talk.  The anthropomorphized trains interacted with one another.  Each had different personalities and specializations to add diversity reflective of life itself.  Like Curious George, Thomas was depicted as a cheeky character. 

Of course, the book also endured because it had caught the interest of television producer Britt Allcroft who made it into a popular TV series which in turn increased the popularity of the books and led to all the merchandising of the Thomas brand.  However, it had to be good quality material at the start to have survived.  It is a reminder to us to use our gifts and to share our passions with others to optimize our success and contribution to the world!

We use the word 'obsessed' to describe many children's interest in Thomas.  If they like it at all, they usually love it.  I mean, transportation is a common interest with planes, trains and automobiles topping the list in popularity.  Therefore, Thomas had a good foundation to stand on.  At the time, the railroad was expanding and trains were incredible inventions but even today they are well utilized in our modern world for transport.

While I typically choose a specific book and highlight activities to go along with it, since Thomas has so many resources, he created many of the possibilities for you.  For example, there are stencils, playdough tools, stuffed animals, toy trains and tracks, markers, crayons, colouring books, puzzle books, memory games, board games, lego sets, tents, watches and stickers to supplement your interest in the books.

The books themselves cover many topics such as counting, colours, phonics, ABCs, telling time, fast/slow, stop/go, sharing, turn-taking, going places and making friends.  It is an excellent selection of books to choose from according to what your child is interested in at the time.  The books also come as board books for babies right up through to leveled books for readers.

So I hope you will explore Thomas and Friends and share your favourite Thomas related activities with others.  Have fun building up relationships with the child(ren) in your life as you also build their skills.