The Railway Children: A Retelling for Curious Readers

A look inside

The opening of The Railway Children: A Retelling for Curious Readers, free to read.

1. 

   Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis were not railway children to begin with. The only engine in their London nursery was a toy that really steamed, Peter’s tenth-birthday treasure. Peter meant to build engines someday. Roberta, the eldest, was always called Bobbie. Little Phyllis meant extremely well. For three days the engine ran beautifully. Then, I am sorry to tell you, it went BANG! Mother, who made up funny poems, wrote one about it.

2. 

   Father turned the poor engine over in his hands. “Is there no hope?” asked Peter. “Hope? Rather! Tons of it,” said Father. But he never began the mending. Two strange men came, and his voice rose behind a closed door. Then a cab rolled away with all three. Mother came in, very pale. “Father’s been called away,” she said, “on business.”

3. 

   “Please don’t ask me questions,” said Mother. She was away from home day after day and came back white and worn out. Everything was perfectly horrid. Then, suddenly, they were packing to live in the country. “Aren’t we taking the pretty cabinet?” asked Bobbie. “Only the useful things,” said Mother. “We’ve got to play at being Poor for a bit.”