The Shop Train by Josie Wowolla Boyle illustrated by Paul Seden

"The railway track stretches across the plains as far as the eye can see. 

Rosie and her mother are waiting in the crowd to catch their first glimpse of the train."

Blurb Magabala Books: The Shop Train was inspired by the Tea and Sugar train that began operating in 1917 to provide supplies and services for rail workers and people living in remote communities between Port Augusta in South Australia and Kalgoorlie in Western Australia. The Shop Train is a heartwarming story about Rosie and her mum, and the rickety journey in their old car to pick up stores from the shop train. The train carried everything they needed, and was an exciting time for all who lived near its tracks. Rosie and her mum slowly wind their way through Wonghi country, on its dusty tracks and never-ending horizon, until they reach the train, brimming with activity and treasures from other places. Paul Seden’s evocative illustrations effortlessly capture a bygone era, rendering the past with a deep sense of nostalgia, whilst capturing its uncluttered beauty. The Shop Train was inspired by similar journeys author Josie Wowolla Boyle took as a young girl. It was these journeys that left unforgettable memories on Josie, no matter how young or old she may have been.

Here are a set of teachers notes for this book. I love the ending of The Shop Train where Rosie and her mum arrive home with their "fluffy flour, grainy rice, fine sugar, powdered milk, arrowroot biscuits and black tea leaves". Unfortunately, as they have travelled over the bumpy road, the paper bags have "split open and everything is mixed together".  

Luckily mum has a yandy or yandi dish. Mum is able to use this to sort out all the mixed up foods.

It would be good to read this book alongside Tea and Sugar Christmas and to compare the illustrations by Robert Ingpen with the work of Paul Seden. 

Illustration by Paul Seden

The pencil illustrations by Paul Seden, from the Wuthathi and Muralag people of North Queensland, give the reader a real sense of the vastness of the landscape. With the low scrub, flat plains, and Australian animals dotted around, it is difficult to imagine anyone living there. Glam Adelaide

Similar scene by Robert Ingpen