For a young child, a subway journey is an eye-opening city-life experience. A story-poem from award-winning creators James Gladstone and Pierre Pratt.
The journey begins with the roar of the subway from the street above, as the child and their mom descend to the dilapidated platform below. The child feels a rush of air as the train pulls in, people stepping on board just in time! Sights and sounds include the dark tunnel and screeching wheels, then the train suddenly breaks out into bright daylight high above the city. All the while, the child takes in the passengers around them — people on their way to work, kids going to school, and “the sleeper,” whom no one else seems to see. At Union Station, the child accompanies their mom from restaurant to restaurant as she looks for work, before they journey home.
Author James Gladstone’s lyrical story-poem and Pierre Pratt’s illustrations, rich in detail and humor, make this companion book to My Winter City (illustrated by Gary Clement) at once delightful and thought-provoking.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
For a young child, a subway journey is an eye-opening city-life experience. A story-poem from award-winning creators James Gladstone and Pierre Pratt.
The journey begins with the roar of the subway from the street above, as the child and their mom descend to the dilapidated platform below. The child feels a rush of air as the train pulls in, people stepping on board just in time! Sights and sounds include the dark tunnel and screeching wheels, then the train suddenly breaks out into bright daylight high above the city. All the while, the child takes in the passengers around them — people on their way to work, kids going to school, and “the sleeper,” whom no one else seems to see. At Union Station, the child accompanies their mom from restaurant to restaurant as she looks for work, before they journey home.
Author James Gladstone’s lyrical story-poem and Pierre Pratt’s illustrations, rich in detail and humor, make this companion book to My Winter City (illustrated by Gary Clement) at once delightful and thought-provoking.
Key Text Features
illustrations
Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1
With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3
Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details.
| Published By | Groundwood Books Ltd — Feb 3, 2026 |
| Specifications | 32 pages | 9.375 in x 12.5 in |
| Written By |
JAMES GLADSTONE is the author of many highly acclaimed picture books, including When Planet Earth Was New: A Short History of Our Planet’s Long Journey, illustrated by Katherine Diemert (Norma Fleck Award); Turtle Pond, illustrated by Karen Reczuch (Norma Fleck Award); My Winter City, illustrated by Gary Clement (Globe 100 List); and Journey Around the Sun: The Story of Halley’s Comet, illustrated by Yaara Eshet (Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year). James lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
PIERRE PRATT has illustrated more than seventy books for children. He has won the Golden Apple and Plaque at the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava, the UNICEF Prize in Bologna and a Totem at the Montreuil Salon du Livre in France. Other awards include the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, the Governor General’s Award (three times) and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award (twice). He has also been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Pierre lives in Montreal and Lisbon. |
| Written By |
|
JAMES GLADSTONE is the author of many highly acclaimed picture books, including When Planet Earth Was New: A Short History of Our Planet’s Long Journey, illustrated by Katherine Diemert (Norma Fleck Award); Turtle Pond, illustrated by Karen Reczuch (Norma Fleck Award); My Winter City, illustrated by Gary Clement (Globe 100 List); and Journey Around the Sun: The Story of Halley’s Comet, illustrated by Yaara Eshet (Sheila Barry Best Canadian Picture Book of the Year). James lives in Toronto, Ontario. |
| Illustrated by |
|
PIERRE PRATT has illustrated more than seventy books for children. He has won the Golden Apple and Plaque at the Biennial of Illustrations in Bratislava, the UNICEF Prize in Bologna and a Totem at the Montreuil Salon du Livre in France. Other awards include the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, the Governor General’s Award (three times) and the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Award (twice). He has also been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Pierre lives in Montreal and Lisbon. |
| Audience | ages 3 to 6 / grades P to 1 |
| Key Text Features | Illustrations |
| Common Core |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.3 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1 |