Steam Engine Meets a Lake Monster by the Tracks

A cheerful steam locomotive with a big friendly face rolls toward us on a railway track, with a puff of smoke rising from its tall chimney. Beside the track, a long-necked lake monster peeks out of the water, showing its head with a curved smile, spiky ridge along the neck, and two humps arching behind it. Reeds grow in the shallows, a rocky cliff with two small evergreen trees sits on the left, and bare branching trees frame the sides. Mountains with snowy peaks fill the background. Try coloring the water in several blues and greens, then ask your child to imagine what the engine and the lake creature might say to each other. The spoked wheels and track ties are good for practicing small, careful strokes.