October, 1947: Europeans are starving. A journalist reaches out to his fellow Americans asking them to fill a mile-long train with food to send overseas in time for Christmas.
France wants to say merci to America and her brothers-in-arms who risked everything for freedom in two world wars. But how can a ravaged country show gratitude to millions?
Hawaii wasn’t a state. The Territory’s citizens weren’t asked to help Europe. For fifty-four years, they had dealt with adversity and hardship. But Hawaiian culture is deeply rooted in ancient, sacred values. And when they heard the call, the people from the land of aloha reached out on their own in a stunning display of support and island pride that celebrates the human spirit, which endures even in our darkest moments.
This is the inspiring, nearly-forgotten true story about the millions of average people from two nations and one territory who united in friendship and gratitude using an ancient Hawaiian concept and a small hero on wheels—an ordinary boxcar—to remind us that above all else kindness and love are unforgettable.
October, 1947: Europeans are starving. A journalist reaches out to his fellow Americans asking them to fill a mile-long train with food to send overseas in time for Christmas.
France wants to say merci to America and her brothers-in-arms who risked everything for freedom in two world wars. But how can a ravaged country show gratitude to millions?
Hawaii wasn’t a state. The Territory’s citizens weren’t asked to help Europe. For fifty-four years, they had dealt with adversity and hardship. But Hawaiian culture is deeply rooted in ancient, sacred values. And when they heard the call, the people from the land of aloha reached out on their own in a stunning display of support and island pride that celebrates the human spirit, which endures even in our darkest moments.
This is the inspiring, nearly-forgotten true story about the millions of average people from two nations and one territory who united in friendship and gratitude using an ancient Hawaiian concept and a small hero on wheels—an ordinary boxcar—to remind us that above all else kindness and love are unforgettable.
Janet and Kerry Lorimer’s The Unforgettable Boxcar is the remarkable true story of a humble French 40‑and‑8 boxcar that journeys during the First Great War in Europe to the sun-baked rail yard of ‘Ewa, Hawai‘i. It’s a nonfiction book with some pictures written for middle-grade readers that traces the boxcar’s beginnings in World War I, carrying soldiers and supplies, to its later transformation into a Merci boxcar loaded with gifts from the French people, to finally being a thank you gift to the Americans for the life-saving Friendship Train. Along the way, readers learn the history of Hawaii’s sugar plantations, martial law, and the powerful cultural value of kokua—help freely given without expectation of return.
The way the book's complex history feels more intimate and less overwhelming for its audience is its strongest component. It uses the perspective of the “little French boxcar,” making abstract concepts like international aid, postwar hunger, and veterans’ sacrifice more concrete and easier to understand. Even the opening pages set that tone beautifully as the neglected boxcar sits ignored in a dusty train yard, its story “forgotten” (a compelling hook for readers who love hidden-history storytelling). The illustrations also bring the journey to life, giving students visual support as the timeline shifts across continents and decades.
I found the explanation of the 1947 Friendship Train and the later Gratitude Train to be especially interesting. It showed how ordinary Americans and French citizens could make a difference in the lives of those across the ocean by giving pennies, heirlooms, handmade gifts, and even treasured toys. The book is also rich in place, language, and culture. The introduction of possible unknown terms such as kokua, laulima, kamaaina, and nisei are given context and reinforced by the pronunciation guide, inviting readers to engage with Hawaiian, Japanese, and French words in a respectful way.
The only possible drawback would be that some students or middle readers may find the history packed into it a bit dense (if they don’t enjoy learning about the past). However, that may not be true for the entire audience. Without a doubt, the biggest strength of this book is that the theme of “no task is too great when done together by all” remains clear, culminating in the moving account of volunteers, veterans, and community groups who restore the crumbling boxcar in Hawaii decades later.
Overall, this book is a strong pick for classrooms, school libraries, and families who enjoy narrative nonfiction with heart. It highlights empathy, citizenship, and cross-cultural friendship in a meaningful way. Readers interested in World War II home-front efforts, social justice, or railway history will find it quite interesting. Teachers will appreciate the many built-in chances for discussion, vocabulary work, and civic responsibility lessons. This is the kind of true story that leaves students thinking—not just about the past, but about what they can do in their own communities today.