The Train With No Name

Hard Cover Book, 6 3/4 by 8 1/4

A great book for the special train lover in your life!  You don't have to be big to be important! Meet a little track tester who proves this to be true. Your child climbs aboard and becomes the brave engineer who saves the traveling circus train from certain danger.

Following is the entire text of the story.  The words in red represent the personalized information.

The Train With No Name

was created especially for

Michael Ryan Matthews
at the age of 4


With love from
Mom and Dad
November 9, 2007

Mike went to the Libertyville train station to see the big circus train that was coming to town. Patrick, Timmy and Joey went along too.

After exploring all of the trains, Mike climbed onto the back of a little track tester. Looking around, he found some old uniforms lying next to the little train.
"Hey! I can be an engineer!" said Mike.

Mike had a feeling that the other trains didn't like having these new little visitors there.

To his surprise, Mike heard the trains talking. They were talking about the arrival of the circus train.
"It has three big engines!" said the Two Engine Express.
"It has smoke stacks as big as trees!" exclaimed the Timberline Steamer.

Then Mike heard the little track tester say, "I can't wait to see the circus train with all of the animals and clowns!"

"Who cares what you want?" huffed the Two Engine Express. "Who do you think you are anyway? You don't even have a name or an engineer."
Mike felt sorry for the little train with no name.

The little track tester was sad.
"I never go anywhere important, and more than anything, I do wish I had an engineer," he sighed.
That gave Mike an idea.
Soon, the trains lined up to leave Libertyville. As usual, the little track tester was last in line, but this time Mike and his friends were on board.

Mike tugged on the whistle cord. "It looks like it's rusted shut," he said.
The little train suddenly stopped on its tracks.
"Who's that?" shouted the train with no name.
Mike proudly announced, "I'm Mike, your new engineer!"

"But, you--you--just can't."
Suddenly, Mike heard an alarm.
"Look!" shouted Mike. "There's something wrong up ahead."

The little track tester saw the circus train heading toward the bridge. "One of the rails is loose!" cried the track tester. "The circus train could crash!"

Quickly, Mike grabbed a loose spike from the track and pushed it through the rusty whistle to unclog it.

Mike pulled hard on the cord, and the old whistle sang out loudly! The circus train heard the whistle and screeched to a full stop. This gave everyone time to fix the track.

When the little track tester returned to Libertyville, the Timberline Steamer rolled up, puffing with excitement. "Mike and you have saved the circus train," he said, "and we think it is time you had a name!"

"We've decided to call you Hooty," said Mike.
Because he was no longer a train with no name, Hooty blew his whistle and announced that Mike was his new engineer.

Everyone cheered for Hooty, now the biggest little train in Libertyville.
After a very exciting day, Mike had learned a big lesson.
You don't have to be big to be important.