Aside from the fact that it was about trains, and stations, and good station names, I found this in the library and thought this would be a very illustrative book, as the book was originally created for children.
Upon opening the book, I was transported down memory lane and was astounded by the level of detail in the map at the beginning, and quite cleverly, a train route at the very back. Blathwayt has cleverly created a basis for what we have always liked to do from a young age, that is a fascination with maps and and following roads and pathways, and I love to do it still. For example, where there is a photo of Crewe Junction, I have to follow the line with a finger until a track promptly ends at the edge of the photo. There is also the option to follow a different line, with several junctions branching off from stations such as ‘Oakvale’ and this makes the whole idea of the route more visually interesting, and also gives the reader something to relate to when Blathwayt references ‘going to Barnacle Bay’ later in the book. It makes you want to go back to the start and trace the route that ‘little red’ went.
What also appeals to me about the map, is the fact that the industrial and rural landscapes have different shading, use of colour, and use of space to give the illusion of a real life map. This is enhanced further by the inclusion of bridges, rivers, a quarry, an airport, a key, a compass, etc.
Benedict Blathwayt the author and illustrator, started life as a painter and went into work in the Hebrides as a dairyman, which probably helped him create his fantastic landscapes and picturesque scenery which we see throughout the rest of the book. I am sure both children and adults will take great pleasure in the level of narrative detail in his pictures.
Having actually read the story, I realised very soon that Blathwayt seemed to have an obsession with rabbits, as he had cunningly put the shapes of rabbits in everything; the clouds, the grass, the wheat fields, the actual animal itself, and tree clearings. This seems to be a device to get the reader to engage with the visual landscape outside of the train window as it progresses on its journey. This is further helped by the passengers of the train commenting on the rabbits, deer, a fox, cows and clouds outside. This therefore encourages the reader to themselves look for what the passengers have said they can see and not only find the actual animals/things described, but also take delight in the discovery of another visual layer eg the rabbits that suddenly appear out of corn fields and woodland and the ‘black patches’ on the cows that ‘look like islands on a map’.
Another double page spread that I liked was the one where Blathwayt pulls out map-like landmarks connected with rail lines, such as a bridge, signal and footbridge etc and asks the reader to ‘spot these on the Little Red Train’s journey’. I took great pleasure and time in hunting through the book for mentioned landscape and buildings, such as a cleverly hidden signal box and an expertly concealed level crossing. Unfortunately, with my bad eyesight
I was unable to pick out the large tunnel!
To conclude this piece of work, I was inspired by Blathwayt’s visual and illustrative style, and planning, where he created a simple story based around a pre-existing layout of the country, flitting between countryside and urban areas. I was incredibly interested in the level of detail he put into the book, where you could learn about the busy ‘life’ of a train station and steam engine through the references and illustrations that mapped out the train’s journey, and made the book really engaging. I show a similar level of attention to detail in my work, with the 3 - dimensional buildings, a single line train route with small, often concealed objects somewhere within the layout.
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