Uncle Sam and His New-Fangled, Old-Fashioned Train Set: Celebrating 250 Years of America

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Every summer, thirty-eight cousins — from the mountains, prairies, harbors, and cities — pile onto Great-Uncle Sam's porch for his birthday. But lately it feels like nobody remembers why they come. Most of them just show up for the fireworks.This year, young Boone is disheartened about a family tradition the others no longer seem to value: Uncle Sam's beloved old wooden train set — left to fall into disrepair. The screens are louder. But none of them ever did what the old train could: pull the whole family together.So Boone picks up a brush. One by one, cousins who'd rather tap their tablets set them down to carve, paint, wire, and build — mountain cousins, prairie cousins, harbor cousins, city cousins, each bringing the skills they know to the same little track. Because that's the secret Uncle Sam has known all along: one car alone can't carry much, but joined together, they can build a nation — and what the family builds rolls farther than any of them dreamed.A warm, funny, big-hearted read-aloud about remembering what things mean, maintaining the old with the help of the new, and the oldest American truth: out of many, one. It's the great American Experiment — sized for small hands.Perfect for ages 4–8, the Fourth of July, America's 250th birthday, family reunions, and every kid who loves trains. Read more