Illustrations by: Boris Kulikov
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Date Published: June 2025
Pages: 48
Grade Level: 1 and 2
ISBN: 978-1547608027
I was so excited to see the title of this book! I learned about the Merci Trains that were sent to the United States - one for each state to express gratitude for gifts given to Europe right after World War 2. I have visited a couple of the Merci train boxcars, but did not know the story BEFORE the Merci trains came to the United States.
On Halloween they asked for treats of nuts, dried fruits, flour, and other foods that could be sent to Europe. When the train left Los Angeles, it had twelve boxcars of food. Along the way, more boxcars were added until the train arrived in New York with 200 boxcars of food. But the food kept coming and the US ended up sending over 500 boxcars of food to Europe. It took four ships to carry all the food.
In France, a man named Andre PIcard wondered how he could show his gratitude to the US. That turned into the Merci Train boxcars. French people gave gifts and filled 49 boxcars to be sent - one for each state.
What a blessing for both the American people and the European people! What a great story, too.
If you want to see a Merci train boxcar, check out the website and see where one is in your state. They are often located in parks or museums inthe capitol of the state.
Website: www,mercitrain.org
Reviewed by Audrey Campbell, MED
Reading Specialist and Library Media Center Director
Valley Adventist Schools, Rogers Campus
