MY SUBWAY RUNS

Subways are few and far between in North America, but those who’ve ridden them find doing so a visceral experience—the close quarters and unique tableaux of subterranean travel. It’s a thrill, a feast for the senses, a uniquely strange assembly of people of all ages and many walks of life. Gladstone captures the unflagging, ever-moving hum of a subway journey with the refrain of “my subway runs”—it runs under the city; it runs fast; it runs “straight out through the sky!” The train stops at Union Station (presumably in Toronto), where the brown-skinned young protagonist’s mother applies for jobs at the station’s many restaurants. Still, the child knows, the train runs even after the pair have disembarked, even after the little one is fast asleep. In addition to evoking the little one’s affectionate ownership of this mode of transportation, Gladstone aptly conveys the physical sensations of subway travel: the sounds of wind from the tunnels and screeching train wheels, the crush of bodies as passengers shove their way on board. Pratt’s painterly illustrations, expanding upon the experiences detailed in Gladstone’s text, depict a rich parade of humanity: tall, short, impeccably dressed, fast asleep, aboard a busy train line—a vibrant vision of city life.