Emma and the Silk Train

After a train carrying bolts of precious silk derails, a girl, obsessed with longing for a silk blouse, spends weeks combing the nearby river for fabric. She finally finds a length of bright red silk, but the fast current strands her on a small island, where she despairs of being rescued. Eventually her family finds her, and her mother makes her a silk dress. The episode is inspired by the 1927 derailment of a silk train in British Columbia, known as the Million-Dollar Wreck. Lawson (Cougar Cove) sews up her tale with a fascinating historical note about the speedy silk trains (silk was insured by the hour). Debut illustrator Mombourquette builds careful, historically accurate paintings from dense, visible brush strokes. The artwork is somber in palette, as if it were perpetually overcast; even the swath of red silk is more dusky than brilliant. Whether finding a bolt of fabric counts as high adventure for contemporary readers remains to be seen, but the sheer contrast between the powerful rushing trains and their luxurious cargo takes hold of the imagination. Ages 4-9. (Sept.)