What a Memory

Last night I was getting ready to read Eli his books at bedtime (he chooses two each night). He made his selections and then said he wanted to read Thomas' Railway Word Book, a book my Aunt Darlene gave him at Christmas. Well that book wasn't upstairs, so I told him we'd read the two he had in hand. He replied, "Well I can just read it to you." Then without the book or any prompts, he recited the entire thing from memory. I have read that book to him quite a few times, but even I didn't remember half of it.

Here is what he recited:
Percy pushes a freight car to James.
James' coupling hook connects to the coupling chain.
James holds coal in a special bin called a tender.
He uses his whistle to talk to a bird.
A porter puts a suitcase on the train.
A passenger walks to the coach.
Henry has had an accident.
The breakdown train uses a crane to lift Henry back onto the track.
Thomas crosses the viaduct over the river.
His driver waves to people in the house.
Snow makes Thomas' wheels slip.
He uses his snowplow to clear the tracks.
Mavis and Thomas meet at the junction.
Mavis is a diesel engine pulling a load of gravel.
James picks up fish at the dock.
A sailor ties up his boat with a strong rope.
Thomas' tank is filled with water from the water tower.
Heat from the firebox turns the water to steam.
Toby is an old-fashioned tram engine.
Instead of a whistle, he has a bell.
Gordon spins around on the turntable.
The trains rest in the shed at night.
Thomas' lamp sits on his lamp rod.
Good night, Thomas.