Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Who doesn't love the Railway Children?
While growing up surrounded by the classic movie adaptation, I have always been interested in reading the original children's book so beautifully written by Edith Nesbit.
I absolutely love this light heart-warming read from Nesbit. Thoroughly enjoyed this on a sunny afternoon.
While growing up surrounded by the classic movie adaptation, I have always been interested in reading the original children's book so beautifully written by Edith Nesbit.
I absolutely love this light heart-warming read from Nesbit. Thoroughly enjoyed this on a sunny afternoon.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
a comfort re-read
and finally oldest sisters get some well deserved recognition
and finally oldest sisters get some well deserved recognition
It's more than a little bit preachy, but the ending is perfect.
This book is absolutely adorable. On the outside it is but fluff, but on the inside it is a heartwarming tale of a family who has lost their father. The writing is so warm and heartfelt, the characters are splendid, the story is delightful - in truth there is nothing bad to say about this story! It is a true delight to read. And it is just adorable.
Even as a child this was one of my favourite books, and I really enjoy the two film adaptations. Having received a DVD of the original film for Christmas I thought what better book to read on Christmas morning!
The tale is a simple one as is the writing but to me that adds to the charm. Is the story realistic - no, the adventures these children get up to are certainly not realistic ones but the simple nature of their lives and their enjoyment of the railway line means you don't need that realism.
I'm not entirely sure whether children would appreciate this book in the same way as people of my generation and older do - so few children nowadays appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and the simplicity of the past but this is certainly a story I would read to children.
The tale is a simple one as is the writing but to me that adds to the charm. Is the story realistic - no, the adventures these children get up to are certainly not realistic ones but the simple nature of their lives and their enjoyment of the railway line means you don't need that realism.
I'm not entirely sure whether children would appreciate this book in the same way as people of my generation and older do - so few children nowadays appreciate the beauty of the outdoors and the simplicity of the past but this is certainly a story I would read to children.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's uncanny how many adventures Phyllis, Peter, and Bobbie get into in such a short period of time. The beginning of the 20th century was certainly an exciting time, at least in rural England. And oh! to fall on hard times in the way that they did. However did they manage with just the one servant?
My kids liked this book, but I've discovered that my kids aren't terribly discerning readers at this point, so you should take their recommendation with a grain of salt. I liked the language, and I liked how the children interacted with adults and were so intent upon thinking of nice things to do even if they didn't do so well at them sometimes. The ending made me cry, but I've been crying at practically every book lately. It's like I just feel so grateful to the story for drawing me in that my emotions get the better of me.
Oh, and the strange scene at the end about the "scientific" explanation for why boys and men need to act and speak gently towards girls and women---my kids had a very fun time yelling out reasons this explanation isn't actually scientific. I was afraid I would have to prompt them to question what was written, but they took it and ran all on their own.
"Other animals don't avoid mother animals because the mothers are more delicate; they avoid them because they're fierce! A mother bear with cubs is much more dangerous than any other bear!" And so on.
I had fun listening to them get so worked up.
I've been seeing more things lately online and elsewhere about how we need to teach boys to never hit girls, and although I've been tempted to use that line on my own son to try and get him to stop injuring his sister, I worry that this rule implies that it's okay to hit boys, which would mean it's okay for my daughter to hit her brother, and that just doesn't work for me (or for my son). So I opted for an "it's not okay to hurt anyone or for them to hurt you" line, and then Edith Nesbit delivered the question about whether to treat boys and girls differently right to the book we were reading. How convenient!
Decent book and fun, although probably not in the way the author intended, but I prefer Nesbit's dragon stories.
My kids liked this book, but I've discovered that my kids aren't terribly discerning readers at this point, so you should take their recommendation with a grain of salt. I liked the language, and I liked how the children interacted with adults and were so intent upon thinking of nice things to do even if they didn't do so well at them sometimes. The ending made me cry, but I've been crying at practically every book lately. It's like I just feel so grateful to the story for drawing me in that my emotions get the better of me.
Oh, and the strange scene at the end about the "scientific" explanation for why boys and men need to act and speak gently towards girls and women---my kids had a very fun time yelling out reasons this explanation isn't actually scientific. I was afraid I would have to prompt them to question what was written, but they took it and ran all on their own.
"Other animals don't avoid mother animals because the mothers are more delicate; they avoid them because they're fierce! A mother bear with cubs is much more dangerous than any other bear!" And so on.
I had fun listening to them get so worked up.
I've been seeing more things lately online and elsewhere about how we need to teach boys to never hit girls, and although I've been tempted to use that line on my own son to try and get him to stop injuring his sister, I worry that this rule implies that it's okay to hit boys, which would mean it's okay for my daughter to hit her brother, and that just doesn't work for me (or for my son). So I opted for an "it's not okay to hurt anyone or for them to hurt you" line, and then Edith Nesbit delivered the question about whether to treat boys and girls differently right to the book we were reading. How convenient!
Decent book and fun, although probably not in the way the author intended, but I prefer Nesbit's dragon stories.
One of my favorite childrens classic. First I thought this book is about same old story, but as I continue to read I found a lot of interesting stuff and flowy words made me finish this cover to cover. Later on, I found out that this book is some of children's literature that includes Nazy things, although explicitly. Some contoversy about it. But still, I love it.