Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: Thomas and Friends, Thomas the Tank

This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 1 month ago by Questa7.

Viewing 6 posts - 1 through 6 (of 6 total)

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April 12, 2011 at 5:26 am
Anonymous
Inactive
I am new to CM and am wondering how she would rate Thomas the Tank stories. The are short stories, and teach decent lessons in my opinion, but non of that would necessarily keep them from being twaddle in her opinion. Therefore I’m asking the opinions of others who have a better idea of her ideals.
I am thinking of using the Step Into Reading – Step 1 books that are Thomas the Tank (there are several) to teach my daughter to read. She absolutely adores Thomas. So any advice on this would be helpful as well.
April 12, 2011 at 12:27 pm
easybrizy
Participant
I think it depends on which stories you’re reading. My boys love Thomas, too, and I would highly recommend this treasury of Thomas stories: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Engine-Collection-Friends-Railway/dp/0375834095/ref=pd_sim_b_1
The illustrations are wonderful, the vocabulary delightful, and the stories engaging. There is a complaint in one of the reviews that these are not Rev. Awdry’s original stories–that they have been edited (for instance, apparently Sir Topham Hatt used to be called the Fat Director and the freight cars were called trucks). Well…I can live with that.
Some of the Thomas books my boys have borrowed from the library really have been twaddle and some of them have come directly from these original stories, so you just have to see for yourself with each book.
April 12, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Ladyofthehouse
Member
I sometimes wonder if some of the books I let my children have would have been thought of as twaddle by Charlotte…..Having said that I think every family has to thoughtfully make their own choices. And really, isn’t that the point she is trying to make? We should have a “thinking love” that carefully considers our individual children and their needs and then sets before them the good, the true and the beautiful.
If your daughter loves Thomas the Train that seems like a perfect way to capture her interest and make the adventure of reading a joy to her. (And for the record, we have lots of Thomas at our house for my 3 year old son:o)
April 12, 2011 at 12:57 pm
ruth
Participant
I prefer the origianl writings of Thomas by Rev. W. Awdry. It seemed to me they dummed down some of the newer books. The original books are writen better in my opionion. I got the big book of all his stories for my son. Plus now I only have a few books of thomas rather than a whole shelf full. 🙂
April 13, 2011 at 4:20 am
Anonymous
Inactive
I can tell you that some of the difference between Sir Topham Hatt and The Fat Controller as well as the frieght cars vs trucks is American usage vs Brittish usage. I have several seasons of the eposides and the Brittish ones with Ringo Starr definitely calls him The Fat Controller. The ones with George Carlin (American naturally) call him Sir Topham Hatt.

Having seen some of the Step Into Reading – Step 1 books, those I am trying to decide if they’re dummed down, or if they’re simplied for beginning readers. Then again, I wonder if there is actually much of a difference.
April 19, 2011 at 9:16 pm
Questa7
Member
I absolutely LOVE Rev. Awdry’s original books, but am disappointed in many of the new books “based on” the originals that come out. They are too overtly didactic, in my opinion, as well as too dumbed-down, as someone else said; a tragic combination.