Caboose: A Picture Book
By (Author) Travis Jonker
Illustrated by Ruth Chan
Abrams
Abrams Books for Young Readers
3rd April 2025
United States
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Humorous stories
Childrens / Teenage fiction: School stories
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Nature and animal stories
Hardback
40
Width 241mm, Height 241mm, Spine 14mm
From childrens book creator and elementary school librarian Travis Jonker, with art from critically acclaimed illustrator Ruth Chan, Caboose is a hilarious picture book all about the antics of classroom line up
Every kid knows the joy of being line leader. You can make the line go fast. You can make the line go slow. You can stop suddenly and make the line crashoh, the power! Cedric has all sorts of tricks to make sure hes first in line. Theres the fast walk, the slow run, the shoulder tap, the slingshot, and so much more. But when Cedrics line leader antics go too far, hes banished to the back of the line. The very back of the line.
Now that Cedrics the caboose, he must hatch a whole new world of hijinks. The turtle walk, the step back, the cloak of invisibility, the no, no, after you! The possibilities are endless!
***STARRED REVIEW***
"Jonker and Chan have created a chaotic yet hilarious story grounded in real childhood emotions...an ideal choice for a read-aloud...ont bring up the rear! Be the first in line to read this laugh-out-loud story."
***STARRED REVIEW***
"Slice-of-life drawings by Chan show Hippo employing myriad tactics to achieve front-of-line status...comically and intricately mapping a circuitous path through the playground."
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian and the creator of 100 Scope Notes, a kidlit blog hosted by School Library Journal. He was a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. Jonker lives with his wife and two children in Zeeland, Michigan. He is the author of The Very Last Castle and Blue Floats Away as well as the author-illustrator of Just One Flake. Ruth Chan is an illustrator and author who spent her childhood tobogganing in Canada, her teens in China, a number of years studying art and education, and a decade working with youth and families in underserved communities. She now writes and illustrates full-time in New York City.