This book has wonderful illustrations featuring landscapes that are incredibly detailed with all kinds of activity going on. The stories are simple and timeless -- appropriate for toddler ages. The illustrations allow for plenty of additional discussion with interested children.
It's hard to not draw comparisons with the Little Blue Train. I love the original Thomas stories but I despise the incessant merchandising of all things Thomas. Enough already! We like trains... real ones and imaginary. Semi-anthropomorphizing a locomotive is good for a few stories but there's a limit to our dwelling in that fantasy. I appreciate the fact that the Little Red Train is a machine not a character and that Duffy's world, although obviously fantastic, is quite a bit less removed from reality than Sodor. More importantly, I can read the stories to my children without selling them on a line of merchandise and training their consumer habits at the same time.