![]() ![]() And in 'The Sad Story of Henry', the fat director (he had not earned the title Controller at this stage) is called out to handle a tricky situation with an obstinate Henry who ends up walled up in a tunnel. The rivalry between Edward and Gordon comes to ahead in 'Edward and Gordon' but the camaraderie between the engines returns when Edward helps Gordon out of a difficult situation. But he eventually does arrive and Edward works all day ferrying his passenger here there and everywhere, so much so that he fell asleep immediately when he got back to the shed! The trip looks doomed when the guard does not turn up and Edward is very disappointed. The first story 'Edward's Day Out' has the smallest engine getting a rare outing as a passenger train. I read this as part of the complete collection of stories from the Thomas the Tank Engine series, but am reviewing it as an individual work, one that I would recommend either which way.įour short stories featuring three railway engines Edward, Gordon and Henry in this first book in the railway series (no sign of Thomas as yet - he appeared in the second book in the series) that shows the rivalry between the engines but finally they all make up and live in their sheds happy with each other. It was mentioned in the 1,001 Children's Books to Read Before You Grow Up and I think it was rightfully so. These engines were fleshed out well enough and I feel that it was something that both younger children, older children, and adults could get something out of reading. These stories were read to me as a youth and I am quite fond of the memories I had with watching these episodes that were narrated by either Ringo Starr or George Carlin. What started out as clever bedtime stories turned into an ongoing global phenomenon that is only growing bigger and bigger. Awdry's series that would become the Thomas the Tank Engine series. To me, this is a five-star story, because it does an outstanding job laying the groundwork for Rev. James (the red engine) makes an appearance unnamed in scenes from the shed and when trying to get Henry out of the tunnel. The Fat Controller (Sir Topham Hatt) and the other drivers and humans provide a sense of humor that will definitely catch the attention of adults, while it may catch the attention of children through what they hear from adults. In these books, we get a sense of how Henry is compulsive, in which he does not want his newly painted coat to get wet in the rain. Henry (the green engine that is a bit smaller than Gordon) has traits from Edward and Gordon, a sense of meekiness that can easily turn into arrogance when things go well for him. In Edward and Gordon, he expresses great interest in getting jobs done, but is specifically interested in pushing the express. Gordon (the big blue engine) is the complete opposite of Edward, the biggest engine from the shed and has a level of confidence that really boosts his ego to the point of cockiness. Edward (the blue engine) is an eager train that is not as big as the others, but has a great deal of confidence to make up for it, but at the same time a sense of modesty that does not turn his confidence into a larger ego the way that Henry is known to develop. Edward is perhaps the engine we are meant to root for and I feel that this strategy was a success. Edward, Gordon, and Henry would be added right before publishing upon a contingency of the publisher, who wanted the book to end happily for Henry.įrom these books, we get an idea of three different engines with three different personalities. These stories would make up Edward's Day Out, the very first in the series, Edward and Gordon, and The Sad Story of Henry. ![]() Awdry would tell his son, Christopher, which began during Christopher's very own bout with measles (don't worry, though, Christopher is still alive to this day and he would pen several books of his own that would continue the series). ![]() This series started as bedtime stories that Rev. ![]() The Reverend Wilbert Awdry's Thomas the Tank Engine series began here with a story not about Thomas, but about three engines named Edward, Gordon, and Henry that would establish their part as a strong supporting cast within the upcoming stories involving the trains and other vehicles that inhabit the Island of Sodor. ![]()
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