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.

One of the best-loved classics of all time, The Railway Children is one of six much-loved Puffin Classics, brought together for International Women’s Day in a stunning set in celebration of some of the most iconic female writers of the 19th and early 20th century.