Suitcase Series: Train Station

Fasten the front and the whole station goes wherever the handle does. Closed, it’s a sunny yellow suitcase painted like a country depot, with arched windows, a green roof and a cat keeping watch from the ticket window. Open it on both sides and the platform spills out: a fold-down platform, a red engine pulling a blue carriage, a railroad crossing sign and a tall station clock.

Then come the passengers. Wooden travelers with outstretched arms wait on two floors of the station, with luggage stacked on a little rolling cart, while a dog in a red bandana supervises and the hot dog stand does business under its red-and-yellow umbrella. Your kid gets to decide who’s leaving, who’s arriving and who only came for lunch.