Choo Choo — Virginia Lee Burton

The story of a beautiful little locomotive all black and shiny. She pulls trains from the city to the country, and back again, in a very proper and dutiful and wholly humdrum manner. At least she does till one surprising day when she suddenly says to herself: 'I am tired of pulling all these heavy coaches. I would go much faster and easier by myself; then all the people would stop, and look at me, just me, and they would say: 'What a smart little engine! What a fast little engine! What a beautiful little engine! Just watch her go by herself!' So Choo Choo does go by herself, and the story of how she runs away and of her exciting adventures makes one of the most captivating books imaginable.