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Shortcut
From Donald Crews, the Caldecott Honor artist and award-winning creator of Bigmama's ,Ìý Freight Train , and many other classic picture books for young children, comes "a superb example of the picture book as theater; a suspense thriller for younger audiences" ( Horn Book starred review). It's getting late following a day of play, So seven children decide to take the shortcut home to Bigmama's, even though that means walking along the train tracks when they know they should always take the road. The coast seems clear... This companion to Bigmama's will enthrall young readers at home or in the classroom. An exciting story with a clear implicit lesson and a happy ending, children will be on the edge of their seats as they follow along. A fun read-aloud, it also helps children ages 3 to 6 learn about how to share details of place in storytelling. Celebrate the bonds of family over generations with Donald Crews's evocative picture books Shortcut and Bigmama's .
32 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 1992
9 people are currently reading
295 people want to read
About the author
Donald Crews
48Ìýbooks48ÌýfollowersDonald Crews (born August 30, 1938) is an American illustrator and writer of children's picture books. In 2015, the American Library Association (ALA) honored him with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, recognizing his lasting contribution to children's literature. Common subjects of his include modern technology (especially travel vehicles), and childhood memories. His stories often include few humans.
Two of his works were runners-up, or Caldecott Honor Books, for the ALA's annual award for picture book illustration, the Caldecott Medal.
Donald Crews was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938. He had an older brother, Asa who became Beth Israel Hospital's first African-American intern, and two sisters. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father worked at the railroad, and several other odd jobs. For the summers he would travel down to rural Florida to stay with his grandmother, who he called "Bigmama". The difference between the big city and the farm caused him to create two, massively different types of art later on in his life.
From a young age, his talent for drawing was encouraged by his family and his teachers. When he got into high school, one of his teachers became a mentor to him, and personally made sure that he got into art school.
He graduated from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, and married another graduate, graphic artist Ann Jonas.
Crews was drafted into the army in 1963, and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. Their first daughter, Nina was born in Germany, and their second was born a year later in New York. Nina is also an award-winning children's book author.
While in Germany, he worked on several pieces for his portfolio, including the book We Read: A to Z (1967). After several suggestions from friends, he submitted it, and it was published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins). The book relied on abstract ideas, rather than the clichés that were usually associated with ABC books. One classic example is the entry for the letter C: "Cc, corner: where the yellow is" is illustrated with a yellow square in the far corner of a red page in the book.
He created several other books over the next few years, but it was 1978's Freight Train that won him a Caldecott Honor and the respect of other artists in the field. He won another Caldecott Honor the next year for Truck. Several other transportation themed books followed, such as School Bus (1984), Flying (1986), and Sail Away (1995). His memories from his summers in Florida first appeared in Bigmama's and later in Shortcut. These stories are vastly different from his previous works, in that they focus on humans, and tell a more linear story.
Crews and his wife currently live in the state of New York in an old, restored farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.
Two of his works were runners-up, or Caldecott Honor Books, for the ALA's annual award for picture book illustration, the Caldecott Medal.
Donald Crews was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1938. He had an older brother, Asa who became Beth Israel Hospital's first African-American intern, and two sisters. His mother worked as a seamstress, and his father worked at the railroad, and several other odd jobs. For the summers he would travel down to rural Florida to stay with his grandmother, who he called "Bigmama". The difference between the big city and the farm caused him to create two, massively different types of art later on in his life.
From a young age, his talent for drawing was encouraged by his family and his teachers. When he got into high school, one of his teachers became a mentor to him, and personally made sure that he got into art school.
He graduated from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, and married another graduate, graphic artist Ann Jonas.
Crews was drafted into the army in 1963, and sent to Frankfurt, Germany. Their first daughter, Nina was born in Germany, and their second was born a year later in New York. Nina is also an award-winning children's book author.
While in Germany, he worked on several pieces for his portfolio, including the book We Read: A to Z (1967). After several suggestions from friends, he submitted it, and it was published by Harper & Row (now HarperCollins). The book relied on abstract ideas, rather than the clichés that were usually associated with ABC books. One classic example is the entry for the letter C: "Cc, corner: where the yellow is" is illustrated with a yellow square in the far corner of a red page in the book.
He created several other books over the next few years, but it was 1978's Freight Train that won him a Caldecott Honor and the respect of other artists in the field. He won another Caldecott Honor the next year for Truck. Several other transportation themed books followed, such as School Bus (1984), Flying (1986), and Sail Away (1995). His memories from his summers in Florida first appeared in Bigmama's and later in Shortcut. These stories are vastly different from his previous works, in that they focus on humans, and tell a more linear story.
Crews and his wife currently live in the state of New York in an old, restored farmhouse overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
May 5, 2016
One of the best doesn't-preach-a-message, let children be who they are and do what they do kind of book. I often use this book to teach about complementary illustrations, which lay out a different narrative on their own than the one I get from the words.
Mostly this reminds me of spending time at my Grandma and Grandpa's house at the mouth of the Big Cottonwood Canyon, where we would take off down to the creek by the Old Mill for hours on end. Unsupervised play wins!
This gets five because I own multiple copies, and read it over and over again.
Mostly this reminds me of spending time at my Grandma and Grandpa's house at the mouth of the Big Cottonwood Canyon, where we would take off down to the creek by the Old Mill for hours on end. Unsupervised play wins!
This gets five because I own multiple copies, and read it over and over again.
October 7, 2008
Level- Elementary
This is a book that I use as a mentor text in writers' workshop. It uses great descriptive language and is great when teaching personal narrative. My students love the sounds of the train whistle and train track. The book Big Momma is another great story written by Don Crews. I am going to do an author study this year with some other Crews books.
This is a book that I use as a mentor text in writers' workshop. It uses great descriptive language and is great when teaching personal narrative. My students love the sounds of the train whistle and train track. The book Big Momma is another great story written by Don Crews. I am going to do an author study this year with some other Crews books.
September 20, 2011
This was a good story to get children thinking about their lives. A time when they did something they knew they shouldn't of, any shortcuts they took. Different things. Good book. Also has sound words.
February 28, 2020
A cautionary tale about why you should mind your elders when they tell you not to do something because it's dangerous.
May 20, 2020
Read on IG by Mac Barnett 5/19/20
February 4, 2018
"The Shortcut, " written and illustrated by Donald Crews is a book about a group of brothers and sisters who decide to take the short way home by walking on the train tracks. This book won the HBF award and was reviewed by Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal and Children's Literature. I think that this book would be appropriate for children in kindergarten - first grade. I would use this book to teach students about making predictions because the book is packed with suspense. As the story progresses, readers should be wondering if the children will make it off the tracks in time before the freight train comes.
One issue I have with this book is that, while the illustrations are of African American characters, the characters all look the same - they have the same shade of brown skin with round saucer eyes, the girls are all wearing the same outfit in different colors and sporting the same hairstyle and so are the boys. One way that the illustrations can be useful is to teach children how to use pictures to make inferences - the facial expressions and body positions of the characters change as they sense the train coming closer and closer towards them. I would ask students if they could tell me what the characters might be thinking or feeling in the moment.
One issue I have with this book is that, while the illustrations are of African American characters, the characters all look the same - they have the same shade of brown skin with round saucer eyes, the girls are all wearing the same outfit in different colors and sporting the same hairstyle and so are the boys. One way that the illustrations can be useful is to teach children how to use pictures to make inferences - the facial expressions and body positions of the characters change as they sense the train coming closer and closer towards them. I would ask students if they could tell me what the characters might be thinking or feeling in the moment.
September 29, 2021
I love to use this book to introduce the power of onomatopoeia and making predictions to my students! I have used this book for a number of years with middle school aged students and they love it! The book itself is very simplistic, the story is about a group of young kids, presumably siblings, who are trying to get home before dark and decide to take a shortcut home. The shortcut involves them following and walking on the train tracks, which turns out to be a dangerous and not such a good idea. No worries though, all make it home safely however, they learn a valuable life lesson along the way; shortcuts might get you there faster but are not always the best way to get where you want to be.
November 9, 2011
Here is another excellent simple book for young train lovers by the inimitable Donald Crews. This book, unlike his more sedate offerings, is quite a thriller. The story starts out serenely when a group of children, hurrying home late, decide to take the forbidden train tracks home. They think all will be well until one of them hears the whistle of an unscheduled train and they must decide which way to run to get out of the way in time. Written with consummate skill, the tale builds in tension as the distant train whistle gets louder and louder, until it reaches a clickety-clacking climax with the children cowering in darkness while the train rushes past. It's thrilling, but scary enough that it is unlikely to provoke copycat behavior -- in fact, it may serve as a cautionary tale.
My only problem with the story is that after their brush with death, the children do not talk about their experience again. A more healthy response to a potentially traumatic event would be to confide in trustworthy adults. But we can't fault Crews too much, since the story is apparently autobiographical. It's dedicated to a list of first-named people, with the comment, "All's well that ends well."
My only problem with the story is that after their brush with death, the children do not talk about their experience again. A more healthy response to a potentially traumatic event would be to confide in trustworthy adults. But we can't fault Crews too much, since the story is apparently autobiographical. It's dedicated to a list of first-named people, with the comment, "All's well that ends well."
January 3, 2010
The cover largely sums this book up. A group of kids, coming home at night, think they'll take the shortcut home. You know - the shortcut? Over the train tracks? Sure, they're not supposed to, but nobody will ever know, right? What could POSSIBLY go wrong?
This is apparently based upon an actual incident from Mr. Crews' life. I can believe it - the kids in the book laugh and giggle and joke and do just about everything *but* concentrate on getting home safe and sound. (That's how they ended up so late they decided to take a shortcut in the first place, I suppose.) And they got a valuable lesson - lucky nobody ended up hurt!
This story might be a bit scary for some younger children. Consider your kid before you read it. (For that matter, it might be scary for some adults!) But if your kid will read it, it's a very exciting story with a clear and obvious moral - sometimes, there's REALLY a good reason you're not supposed to do something, so don't be stupid.
This is apparently based upon an actual incident from Mr. Crews' life. I can believe it - the kids in the book laugh and giggle and joke and do just about everything *but* concentrate on getting home safe and sound. (That's how they ended up so late they decided to take a shortcut in the first place, I suppose.) And they got a valuable lesson - lucky nobody ended up hurt!
This story might be a bit scary for some younger children. Consider your kid before you read it. (For that matter, it might be scary for some adults!) But if your kid will read it, it's a very exciting story with a clear and obvious moral - sometimes, there's REALLY a good reason you're not supposed to do something, so don't be stupid.
December 3, 2017
Genre: Children's Picture Book (MAISA Mentor Text)
My third graders really enjoyed this book, and were able to remember and point out different parts when we would revisit the story for lessons.
Feature: The words used to show sounds in the book gradually get larger as the train comes closer... This is a great book for pre-teaching to add sound words to their writing.The book also shows that authors can play with the formatting and positioning of the words to appeal to readers. We used this book in this way for teaching different lessons in reading and writing.
Grade level suggested 1-3
My third graders really enjoyed this book, and were able to remember and point out different parts when we would revisit the story for lessons.
Feature: The words used to show sounds in the book gradually get larger as the train comes closer... This is a great book for pre-teaching to add sound words to their writing.The book also shows that authors can play with the formatting and positioning of the words to appeal to readers. We used this book in this way for teaching different lessons in reading and writing.
Grade level suggested 1-3
September 2, 2012
A short text that is packed with so much! Thrilling and suspenseful. The ending is powerful.
October 22, 2012
This Donald Crews book had many words, uncharacteristically. I enjoyed that the kids learned a lesson. This is helpful in my area where there are many train tracks.
May 30, 2016
Not sure why I like this one. The message is so ominous. It resounds in a way with work ethic and doing what you are told and with the secrets of adolescence contained in peer groups.
December 9, 2017
Crews� works from his past childhood experiences are charming. I appreciate the adventurous spirit in the book which then leads into the understanding of consequences and caution that all children experience. I would likely use this book to discuss consequences of actions with children as well as how to be safe when walking somewhere new or even somewhere familiar.
September 26, 2017
Genre: Children's Picture Book (MAISA Mentor Text)
Unique feature: The sound words in the book gradually get larger as the train comes closer... This is a great book for pre-teaching to add sound words to their writing. The book also shows that as the author you can play with the formatting and positioning of the words to appeal to your readers more.
Grade level suggested 1-2
Unique feature: The sound words in the book gradually get larger as the train comes closer... This is a great book for pre-teaching to add sound words to their writing. The book also shows that as the author you can play with the formatting and positioning of the words to appeal to your readers more.
Grade level suggested 1-2
November 27, 2018
This story reminds me of something I would have done growing up. Love how the children knew they should hurry up along this shortcut, but instead, took their own sweet time. They soon find themselves trapped on the tracks with a train quickly approaching. They find away to escape the ordeal, but were too embarrassed to tell anyone what had happened...just like I would have done.
August 29, 2023
This book has a wonderful rhythm. The excitement and suspense builds up as the kids take a risk, and narrowly avoid real danger. The mood is palatable, from playful to panic to solemn. It is very relatable. It is easy to remember being a child and disregarding a rule, and going from Bravado to scared of any consequences .
Read
August 21, 2024"Never walk on the tracks!", said my son - affirming the lesson from this book about the danger a group of kids encounter after taking a shortcut via train tracks. In addition the use of the growing size of the train sound text was very clever. My son and I take the train all the time so I am grateful for this book.
September 4, 2018
I loved reading this book and was wondering how it ends. These kids were on the train tracks trying to take a shortcut home. Then a train starts heading their way. This is a simple reminder that children should listen to what their parents say because they have reason for it.
October 1, 2019
Shortcut
by Donald Crews
The children are running late going home, they take a shortcut that they were warned before not to use because the train tracks are not safe. The children learn an important lesson about following advice.
August 9, 2020
I love the inclusion of all the sound words. I enjoyed the multiple spreads of the train. I’m more iffy about the story. Seems a little scary for the intended audience, although it does deliver an important message in a non-preach way.
February 9, 2022
This is a scary story about kids who almost get hit by a train. It actually scared my kids a bit but in a really good way. The whole time they were saying "that isn't safe!" and then when it was over they wanted me to read it again.
June 30, 2024
Fantastic! What a fabulously illustrated book that has such a rich storyline in illustrations alone—I could look at them for hours and pick up more and more ways they add to the story. Absolutely brilliant! Highly recommend.
January 15, 2025
Good book with some fun and suspense, but I'm not quite sure why the children couldn't have just stepped off to the side of the tracks into the bushes when the train came. The artwork makes it look like there was plenty of room.
February 28, 2025
Super short! I felt this book left me wanting more. It left space for lots of illustrations of the train going by the kids. Uses lots of onomatopoeia. Reminded me of my childhood walking on the railroad tracks.
April 2, 2025
If an almost wordless picture book could be considered a thriller, this is it! I read about this on the Substack called "Looking at Picture Books," which considers this a masterpiece. A somewhat different style from all the Crews books I have known (and loved) before this.
January 28, 2018
A warning about playing/walking on railroad tracks through a story where a group of kids gets a scare.
March 22, 2018
This would be a great mentor text for teaching narrative. Great descriptive words, illustrations and an important message too!
June 11, 2018
A little old for our kids, and a bit scary for some of them. But beautifully told and illustrated. A great example of how an extremely simple plot is often all that's needed for a picture book.
July 19, 2018
My boys LOVE the action and suspense of this book, especially when my oldest son was into trains.
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