Air date: February 4th, 2010 (UK), October 2nd, 2010 (US)
New story books are to be delivered to the library for the school children's story time and the Fat Controller gives this special job to Thomas. Thomas goes to Maithwaite to collect the trucks full of books, but he is so excited about the children's storytime that he leaves too soon and does not wait for the stationmaster to cover the books to keep them inside the trucks. On his way to the library, Thomas sees a red signal ahead and goes down the branch line before he reaches the signal, so as to not be late for story time. However, Thomas soon pays the price for his impatience when he ignores warning signs about track repairs and hits the bumpy track, causing his trucks to derail, crash into Farmer Mc Coll's Field and spill the books all over the field.
Thomas feels bad for being impatient, but he has an idea. Seeing how bright the colourful books are in the field, Thomas decides that instead of bringing the books to the children, he will bring the children to the books. So he collects Annie and Clarabel and then collects the schoolchildren and their teacher. Once back at Farmer Mc Coll's Field, Thomas listens to the teacher telling a story about a boy who learned patience.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- An Aesop: While it's important to get somewhere on time, you don’t have to rush and it’s okay if you’re a little behind schedule.
- Rhymes on a Dime: "I mustn't be late for story time! I'll chuff and I'll puff to be there on time!"
- Rule of Three: Thomas skips three signals until he loses control and drops the books.
