Tom Jellett’s The Train at the End of my Street is a picture book for pure enjoyment, tapping into the timeless childhood fascination with trains. A young child narrates his interest in trains of all kinds, but particularly the trains and the station at the end of his street. Some days, he walks to the station with his family to farewell his mum when she goes to work. Some days, they walk back to meet her, too. The station master always says hullo. And on very special days, they all catch the train for a day out.

The plot is no more complex than that, but the charm of a child’s perspective shines brightly on every page. The reader experiences a tangible sense of wonder as the child notices new trains, old trains, colourful trains, or steam trains. There are stations with lifts, and stations with steps. You can sit upstairs or downstairs. If it’s a long ride you get to bring snacks! Young readers who join their families on regular commutes will find this extremely relatable, whilst children who don’t travel on trains will find plenty to learn.

While the setting for this story is modern day Australia, the illustration style would be at home in a 1970s Little Golden Book, bringing a vintage quality to bright expressive characters and vibrant cityscapes. Significant is the sense of movement across dynamic spreads, with trains running in different directions across pages, montage spreads to accelerate action, building cross sections, and delightful endpapers that tell their own little train story.

This book is aimed at readers 3+ and is ideal for shared reading.

 Affirm Kids 2025

Tom Jellet

Lara Cain Gray is the author of The Grown-Ups Guide to Picture Books