# Is "Locomotive" by Brian Floca a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Locomotive by Brian Floca (Atheneum, 2013) is identified by: First printing has a complete number line running down to 1 on the copyright page; imprint stated as Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books (a Simon & Schuster imprint); oversize landscape picture-book format. The US Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books hardcover of 2013 is the true first edition; it won the 2014 Caldecott Medal and was a 2014 Sibert Honor book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has a complete number line running down to 1 on the copyright page; imprint stated as Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books (a Simon & Schuster imprint); oversize landscape picture-book format
- The true-first jacket carries no Caldecott Medal or Sibert Honor seal, both awarded in 2014
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Brian Floca |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 2013 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | First printing has a complete number line running down to 1 on the copyright page; imprint stated as Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books (a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has a complete number line running down to 1 on the copyright page; imprint stated as Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books (a Simon & Schuster imprint); oversize landscape picture-book format. The true-first jacket carries no Caldecott Medal or Sibert Honor seal, both awarded in 2014.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atheneum / Richard Jackson Books hardcover of 2013 is the true first edition; it won the 2014 Caldecott Medal and was a 2014 Sibert Honor book. The first-printing jacket predates those seals.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add the Caldecott Medal seal to the jacket. Book-club issues differ in trim, board, and pricing and lack the complete first-printing number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Locomotive* by Brian Floca a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/locomotive
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.