Book description
When Father is taken away unexpectedly, Roberta, Peter, Phyllis and
their mother have to leave their comfortable life in London to go and
live in a small cottage in the country. The children seek solace in
the nearby railway station, and make friends with Perks the Porter and
the Station Master himself. Each day, Roberta, Peter and Phyllis run
down the field to the railway track and wave at the passing London
train, sending their love to Father. Little do they know that the
kindly old gentleman passenger who waves back holds the key to their
father's disappearance.
Includes an introduction by Jacqueline Wilson, as well as a literary
guide and glossary in the endnotes. Illustrated by C. E. Brock.
Edith Nesbit was a mischievous child who grew up into an
unconventional adult. With her husband, Hubert Bland, she was one of the
founder members of the socialist Fabian Society; their household became
a centre of the socialist and literary circles of the times. E. Nesbit
turned late to children's writing. Her first children's book,
The
Treasure Seekers
, was published in 1899 to great acclaim. Other books featuring the
Bastable children followed, and a series of magical fantasy books,
including
Five Children and It
also became very popular.
The Railway Children
was first published monthly in the
London Magazine
in 1905, and published as a book in 1906, which has been in print ever
since.
