Zimmerman, Karl. The Stourbridge Lion.

Zimmerman, Karl.  The Stourbridge Lion.   Boyd's Mills/Calkins Creek/Word Song      unp   $16.95      978-1-59078-859-2       elem        E-BN       

The Stourbridge Lion was built in England and transported to Pennsylvania, where it became the first steam locomotive to move freight in the United States. Coal from Carbondale, PA, had been getting moved on rail carts pulled by horses or mules to Honesdale, PA, where the coal was loaded onto barges destined for New York City.  The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company, from which the D&H Railroad would emerge, had the foresight to consider replacing animal power with steam to move the coal.  Although short lived, because the Stourbridge Lion was too heavy for the existing rails, this first attempt at railroad transportation proved to be the genesis for moving freight from coast to coast with steam locomotive power. The illustrations have a particularly subdued, nostalgic flavor that compliment the text of the picture-book format.  Any person interested in the history of steam locomotives will enjoy this book and will follow the suggestions for further reading that are listed.  It is too bad there is not an addendum for students who might wish to actually see a steam train in person.  Steam Town, a national historic site, in Scranton, PA, is a steam locomotive enthusiast’s dream, which is not mentioned in the book.                                                               -- Lois McNicol