The Little Train That Could January 12, 2010

Folktale; Adapted for the stage by Richard Rosen, Executive DirectorThis classic American tale is the story of a little boy and his grandpa. It is the middle of a great depression. Times are hard, and the little boy's parents must travel to find work. While they travel, they leave him with his grandpa. Every night, the little boy asks his grandpa to tell him his favorite story, and every night his grandpa tells him a tale about a little train that never gives up. This wonderful children's story is a uniquely American fable that teaches children the value of optimism and hard work. This story, about a train that breaks down and asks for help from bigger and stronger trains to help get over the mountain, becomes a metaphor for the American dream. All of the trains turn him down until finally a little blue engine agrees to try. The little blue engine refuses to give up thinking and knowing it can succeed. Finally, through sheer will power, it pulls the train over the mountain and to the valley.