Railway Children

Three children, a cottage at the bottom of a railway line, a father who has disappeared and a mother writing herself to exhaustion to keep them all afloat. E. Nesbit wrote this in 1906 and it has not dated by a single day. This Puffin Clothbound edition, cream and gold and green with that glorious steam engine on the cover, is simply the most beautiful way to own it.

We love it because:

• The story is everything: funny, moving, genuinely gripping and full of the kind of children who actually do things, who wave at trains and make friends with strangers and hold the whole world together while the adults fall apart. Bobbie especially
• The Puffin Clothbound editions are among the loveliest books in print: proper cloth boards, gold foil detail, the kind of cover that makes you want to pick it up before you've even read the title
• At 304 pages it's a proper read-together chapter book, the kind that takes a few weeks of bedtime chapters and is quietly sad to finish
• One of those books that adults who loved it as children genuinely cannot wait to share. This is the edition worth sharing it in

What's in the box:

• Hardback, 304 pages
• Puffin Clothbound edition with gold foil cover
• Published by PRH Children's Books

Great for:

• Ages 8 and up, and every adult who remembers it fondly
• A birthday gift, a Christmas present, or the book you give when a child is ready for a proper classic with real heart
• Reading aloud together, one chapter at a time

Important to know:

• Hardback, 304 pages
• Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.2cm (8 x 5.2 in)
• ISBN: 9780241688267
• Published June 2024