The Railway Children

E. Nesbit

May 2010 · Puffin · Narrated by Jenny Agutter

About this audiobook

The abridged, downloadable audiobook edition of E. Nesbit's classic The Railway Children, brilliantly read by the actress Jenny Agutter.

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.

About the author

Edith Nesbit was a mischievous child who grew up into an unconventional adult. With her husband, Hubert Bland, she was one of the founding members of the socialist Fabian Society; their household became a centre for the socialist and literary circles of the time. 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 then published as a book in 1906. It has been in print ever since.