Train to Somewhere

Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting

They are always images of the train traveling to its next stop, which shows the scenery and setting of the locations. The colors used throughout the book are very warm and connect to the story and emotions of the characters. There are not many bright colors as a majority of the time the use of browns, beiges, and grays are present. The illustrator used watercolors to illustrate the book, which adds great depth to the images and characters. There is a bright use of color to represent the jacket of the character Nora, who was close friends with Marianne. The bright color blue is used to show her youth and innocence throughout the book.

The illustrations of the characters and settings have the perceptual view of orphan children finding a family to call home. There are depictions of young children jumping into the arms of their new parents, children riding the train, and the fear of many while at the train stops. The structural view of the characters show a representation of hope.

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There is a constant pattern of facial expressions of the characters throughout the book as the beginning illustrations show sadness and worry that the orphans will never be picked. Throughout the novel the succession of children being picked and joined with a family shares facial expressions of happiness and comfort of finding a home.

For the most part all of the orphan children are shown to be the same size, but there are moments where the more valued children are illustrated larger and have more youthful facial expressions. This book shows the historical ideological issue of orphan trains and children without homes and families. It gives information on a topic that might have been unknown by the reader. It shows the transformation of children coming from orphanages and finding a caring family.

It allows young children to understand the stories of the characters and the struggles of their journeys. This book is a representation of a multimodal text. There is an interaction between the text and the illustrations that use each other to fill in the gaps for the reader. The illustrations further elaborate the meaning of the text and gives the reader a visual representation of the words. This story, appropriate for third grade readers and older, tells of a young orphan girl, Marianne, and her journey on an American orphan train headed West.

Trains like these ran from the mid's to , carrying homeless children across the country to find families and home where they were needed. At each stop men and women inspect the children for health and a suitable purpose, taking boys for heavy labor and farm hands and pretty girls for housework and childcare. Sadly, at each s Summary: Sadly, at each stop, more and more children are taken, but Marianne is left behind each time. In the beginning Marianne does not seem to care, as she is searching for her own mother, who left her years before "to [go: As each stop passes without a sign of her mother, Marianne must deal with the true feeling of being alone and unwanted, both by her real mother and the other men and women who look over her each time.

Will she find her mother? Will she find a family where she is wanted? Or will she be taken back to New York to join the next group of children on the next train to Somewhere? Train To Somewhere is an elementary age book about the orphan trains from around the beginning of the 20th century. There are many children on the train that will travel west. Marianne is an older child who knows she is not as young and cute as she would need to be in order to be picked first. She is okay with this since she is hoping to find her mother who went west years earlier. As the train travels, she is separated from her friends and it starts to bother her that no one wants her.

At the f Train To Somewhere is an elementary age book about the orphan trains from around the beginning of the 20th century. At the final stop there is one older couple waiting. This story was so sad, but very good. I felt so bad for the girl when she was holding out hope for her mom, when she was the last one, and when she decided to give up hope for her mom.

The story was of very high quality, just kind of sad. I think the end is very hopeful once you get over the initial sad parts. This picture book is recommended for grades 3 and up, however it can definitely be used in older grades 5 and up to explore larger social concepts of the time.

This book tells the story of a girl who is put on a train with the expectations that her mother will be coming back for her and picking her up at one of the stops off of the train. Throughout the story, we see the intense emotions these orphans feel, with the main character longing for her mother, and the others longing to have a family This picture book is recommended for grades 3 and up, however it can definitely be used in older grades 5 and up to explore larger social concepts of the time.

Throughout the story, we see the intense emotions these orphans feel, with the main character longing for her mother, and the others longing to have a family. The illustrations are especially interesting, as some show specific orphans with faces blurred out, while the main character becomes the focus. I found the book to be well done and would be comfortable using it in middle school to explore social and political issues of the time as they relate to concepts we explore in class. I would definitely recommend this book as part of a classroom historical-fiction picture book collection.

Jan 26, Chrissi Guarnieri rated it it was amazing Shelves: Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting was a moving historical fiction book. This orphan train traveled from New York to Somewhere, Iowa. There were two little girls who had developed a close relationship while living together in their orphanage and the elder of the two hoped she and her mother would be reunited on her journey.

Their guardian, from the orphanage, cared for each of them deeply and wanted the best for each child. Her internal battle was evident throughout the story as different people Train to Somewhere by Eve Bunting was a moving historical fiction book. Her internal battle was evident throughout the story as different people "took" the children from her care.

Prior to this book I knew little about Orphan Trains, and this book helped me to see changes in family dynamic, the way children are viewed and the way people look at adoption in general since the early s. The illustrations offered a perspective on life at the time. I liked that the images left out some detail in an effort to draw the reader into the picture by filling in detail with their imagination.

Nov 27, Sarah Jane rated it really liked it. This is an Orphan Train headed to the town of Somewhere, Iowa. The train makes stops along the way as one after another the orphans are adopted by waiting crowds at each station. There is only one orphan girl left when the train makes its final stop. She is still holding onto the hope that her mother will come for her as it pulls into the station.

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The illustrations help transport the reader in time by showing the clothing style of the time period. The setting is described in the text and shown through the illustrations as the train travels across the states making its way to Somewhere, Iowa. Nov 29, Heather Singh rated it it was amazing.

This picture book is historical non-fiction. Although Marianne the main character may not be a real person; the experiences the orphans went through is accurate. Marianne is traveling by train with Ms. Randolph along with 13 other children, in the hopes of being adopted. Randolph that brightens her up and Marianne is adopted at the last stop. The artwork is beautiful. The colors are warm and rich. The style is a barely detailed watercolor art. The use of light is apparent, the pictures really add to the story. The folk art style is really fitting with the warm story. Nov 28, Catherine Miner rated it really liked it.

This is the story of a young girl named Maryann who is put on an orphan train headed west. Through the use of text and illustrations, the author is able to give us an idea of what it was like to be an orphan. Maryann believing that her mother was coming for her, and feeling as though no one wante This is the story of a young girl named Maryann who is put on an orphan train headed west.

Maryann believing that her mother was coming for her, and feeling as though no one wanted her, was a normal feeling for an older orphan who was not chosen until the last stop. Although the characters are fiction, the situations and feelings the orphans had are realistic. This book falls under the category of Historical Fiction, because it is based off of a time in the past, but the story itself is fiction.

Nov 29, Pablo Coppola rated it it was amazing. This historical fiction takes the reader through the lens of Marianne, an orphan who is expecting to see her birth mom throughout a train ride. But this is no ordinary train, this train is the setting of the story as numerous children from orphanages from the East Coast to the West Coast. You get to experience the highs and lows of this journey together with Marianne as you witness her beginning to learn from each event in the story. Nov 29, Jocelyn Koff rated it really liked it.

This story is about orphans during the 's. They are being sent from New York to small towns and farms in the Mid West. It show what it was like to be an orphan in the 's. Since there was not enough room in the orphanages they send them out to the Mid West where they can work or get adopted. At each platform they are either adopted or taken to work in the fields. At every stop they are put on display almost like a animal auction. At every platform more children are taken and either adopte This story is about orphans during the 's. At every platform more children are taken and either adopted to a home or taken for working in the field.

The illustrations are watercolor like. It shows what it was like to be an orphan in the 's. It is the sad truth of what it was like in the 's. The water illustrations are beautiful and evoke emotion.

Train To Somewhere

The author does a great job stirring curiosity from the very first pages. The writing style allows readers to visualize the story very easily. It appears the author is very knowledgeable of the time period as the language used is unusual for current time; it sounds olden. The fact that children were sent on trains across the US in hopes of getting adopted was just crazy to me. I can not imagine how Marianne, the main character, was feeling when she was the last one to get adopted.

That feeling of being unwanted is something a child should never have to feel. Jul 03, Jacob K'Hari rated it it was amazing. Marianne has a dream of being reunited with her mother, she recalls her mother telling her that she was leaving but that they would be together again soon.

As the train goes on, Marianne keeps her hopes up of being reunited with her and is happy that she is not chosen by adoptive parents. Zachery, a little boy from England is one of the first children to be adopted. Marianne is the only child left on the train with Miss Randolph, all of the other 13 children on the train are taken. They go to the last stop in the town of Somewhere, Iowa. Marianne does not see her mother and the only prospective parents are an older couple who hold a locomotive that they hoped to give to a little boy. They talk to Marianne and decide it's a match. The point of view in this story is first person narrative, the main character Marianne is hoping to reunite with her mother.

The themes in this story could include the hope for a new beginning. Marianne does find acceptance from a couple and a new life. The pain of abandonment and the strength to move forward could be another theme. Adventure and acceptance of circumstance, the children had to put on their best clothes and smiles, not knowing where they would be and how they would be treated but still learning to think positively. The watercolor paintings offer expressive portraits of the period as they transmit the plot's substantial emotion that is heard in the text throughout this sad and bittersweet experience.

The historical context in this story is about the plight of homeless children during the mids to lates. There are historical facts mentioned like the statistics for the highest number of orphan trains in the year Jul 03, Cynthia rated it it was amazing. This is a non-fiction historical book with the themes of orphan children, slavery, and economic struggles. There was a time period of s through s where there was a high number of homeless and orphaned children. This book represents that era.

In that time there was not enough space in the orphanages to accommodate all the children so in this story, we see a group of children and a caregiver from New York traveling on a train, all headed to the Midwest, hoping to get adopted. The train mak This is a non-fiction historical book with the themes of orphan children, slavery, and economic struggles. The main character is an orphan girl named Marianne, the main theme is her adoption journey and we see through her lens the events happening in the story, the conflicts, and her thoughts and feelings.

The children vary in ages and Marianne is one of the oldest of the children. She shares a special bond with Nora, a five year old girl which she sees as a sister. Marianne holds on to the promise her mom made her one day, that she would come back for her, Marianne then realizes her mom is not at the bus stops, she sees all the other children getting adopted, except her, she wonders if she will ever get adopted.

This book evokes sadness in the reader, I thought of how the children must have felt, they desired love and equality. I think this is a great book for children in the classroom, as it allows them to learn about history and not only appreciate their parents but also understand the orphaned children, expanding their understanding and perspectives of the world.

This book shows qualities of a good non-fiction historical book. The language is accessible and meaningful to the reader and the story contains a conflict that creates drama and then a resolution for the conflict, keeping the reader engaged and connected to the situation. The empathy is there. The design elements work together to bring a gloomy theme. The rest of the pages resemble the same theme, the lines are faded, making the pictures look frail. The colors are not bright, but not too dark. The pictures are paintings and the style is realism, as everything seems very real, a good representation of real life.

The pictures take up the whole page but there are no words on the pages, this version of the book is an audio book. Jul 03, Justine Vasquez rated it it was amazing. The train makes several stops along the way as one after another the orphans are adopted by waiting crowds at each station. She is still holding onto the hope that her mother will come for her as it pulls into the station Train to Somewhere is an emotional historical fiction picture book written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Ronald Himler. Bunting does a great job describing the young girls hope, anxiety and realizations throughout her journey.

This book also brings new light to Orphan Trains and the development of the Great Plains. It really shows children the history or being a orphan and how it feels. The illustrations help transports the reader in time by showing the clothing style of the time period. The illustrations are watercolor like, which can be described as "gouache" which is watercolor with the addition of chalk. The color in the illustrations are used to highlight the parts of the picture that are important; such as, the first stop.

When they are all getting off the train. The train is a bright color that attracts they eyes, as well as Ms. Randolf is wearing a bright shirt to show us that she is important in this story. Everyone else that is waiting are in dark or neutral colors. The lines in the illustrations help the pictures come to life, by making the illustrations look more realistic. Jan 15, Carol rated it it was amazing.

I let Nora sit by the window. We can see ourselves reflected in its dirty glass. Her hair twirls in ringlets under her bonnet. I can see my own long, thin face. I know Nora will be one of the first ones taken. This was in response to The Industrial Revolution and the waves of immigrants coming to the City to find work, only to find in some cases, poverty and starvation.

There were thousands of orphans on the Streets of New York City. This experience later lead to our present day foster care system. Little Nora and she have become fast friends in the orphanage and dream of being adopted together, although Marianne knows that it is unlikely. As they arrive at the train depots, and while each orphan is being looked over, some like live stock at the county fair, Marianne is overlooked every time.

In her heart she thinks, she hopes, that her mother might be at one of the stops waiting for her. Will she have to go back to New York City to the orphanage? Or will that older couple in the buggy adopt her. It is clear that they wanted a boy. This book is richly illustrated and moves us through a moving segment of our history with depth and compassion. When I read this story to a group of 4th graders, I cried. Nov 29, Andrew Simmons rated it really liked it Shelves: Marianne and Nora are orphans who are being placed on a train by Ms.

Randolph to send them from New York City to the Midwest for a better life. Marianne and Nora begin their journey to the Midwest and discuss the prospects of being adopted, even though they are fearful of being split up. Randolph tells them that most parents just want one child, but Marianne has hope that they will be adopted. As the train continues its journey, Marianne sees warehouses, clotheslines, and then apple trees in Marianne and Nora are orphans who are being placed on a train by Ms. As the train continues its journey, Marianne sees warehouses, clotheslines, and then apple trees in the country.

They change trains and continue their journey to finding their parents where they see the Great Plains and arrive in Porterville, Iowa. Several children are adopted and a couple see Nora, but Marianne is not adopted with her because the couple just want one child. Randolph that it is okay that she was not adopted because her mother is coming for her. Several more children are adopted and the remaining children travel to Glover, where a smaller crowd is waiting for them.

Marianne continues to believe that her mother is waiting for her at the next stop, even though she has yet to appear. This story discusses a time in American history that few people know of, the prevalence of the Orphan Trains. Eve Bunting creates a heartbreaking tale of a young girl who is hopeful that her mother will find her. This historical fiction picture book brings to life a time when children that were abandoned or homeless were taken in by orphanages and then sent West to farms.

As the reader moves through this story and visits each new town, they begin to learn why Marianne is so hopeful and how the other children are affected by being adopted. As a teacher, this book provides a unique look at the early 20th century and how the characters react to their situations.