RailwaychildrenEdithNesbit(1858—1924)wasborninLongdon.Shewastheyoungestchildinherfamily.Herfatherdeidwhenshewas3yearsold,unfortunately,hersisiterwasfoundaseriousdiease,sohermotherdecidetomovefromfoggyLondontoFranceandthenGerman,Inthattime,shewasonly9yearsold.EdithNesbit(1858—1924)wasborninLongdon.Shewastheyoungestchildinherfamily.Herfatherdeidwhenshewas3yearsold,unfortunately,hersisiterwasfoundaseriousdiease,sohermotherdecidetomovefromfoggyLondontoFranceandthenGerman,Inthattime,shewasonly9yearsold.IntroductionoftheauthourEdithhadpublishednearly100books.Sheachievedagreatsuccessinchildren’sliteraturecreationwhichmadeherfamousoverseas.Hercreationcanbeclassficatedintotwoparts:onedescriberealfamilyandadventurestory;theotherisfairytaleandfantasystory,whichismorefamous.TheStoryoftheTreasureSeekers(1898)TheWouldbegoods(1899)FiveChildrenandIt(1902)ThePhoenixandtheCarpet(1904)TheStoryoftheAmulet(1905)TheRailwayChildren(1906)TheEnchantedCastle(1907TheHouseofArden(1908)Harding'sLuck(1909年)GrimTales(stories)(1893)ThePilot(1893)TheSevenDragons(1899)TheNewTreasureSeekers(1904)TheThreeMothers(1908)TheseLittleOnes(1909)TheMagicCity(1910)Dormant(1911)WetMagic(1913)TotheAdventurous(stories)(1923)BackgroundTheRailwayChildrenreflectsonthehighlyunconventionallifeofitsauthor.ThelostfatherisafavouriteNesbittheme:herownfatherdiedwhenshewasfourandinherbooksshewasalwaystryingtogethimback.Bobbie'scryattheendofTheRailwayChildren-"Oh!MyDaddy,myDaddy"-remainsoneofthemostrecognisableandtouchinglinesinchildren'sliterature.PovertywassomethingEdithNesbithadknownfirsthand,bothasachildandasayoungmarriedwomanwithsmallchildren.Perhapsasachild,withawidowedmothertryingtomakeendsmeetandfindasuitableclimateforEdith'sconsumptiveeldersisterMary,NesbithadexperiencedtheadmonishmentissuedbyMothertoPhyllisinTheRailwayChildren:"Jamorbutter,dear-notjamandbutter.Wecan'taffordthatsortofrecklessluxurynowadays."Itisawarmingandmovingstory~MaincharactersBobbie------theeldestsisterPeter------thebrotherPhyllis-----theyoungersisterPerks------theporteroftherailwayThemother/fatherTheheadoftherailwaystationThechangeinthechildren'slivescomesverysuddenly.Oneminutetheyareallahappyfamily,witheverythingthattheywant.Thenextminute,Fatherhastogoawaywithoutsayinganything—‘onbusiness’,Mothersays.Butherfaceiswhite,andthechildrenknowthatit’sbadnews.TheyhavetoleavetheirnicehouseinLondon,goandliveinalittlehouseinthecountry.Theyarepoornow,Mothersays.Inthefreshcountrylife,theyareworriedabouttheirfatherverymuch,Buttheydon'tloseheartoflife.Andthere,downthehillfromtheirnewhouse,istherailway,withitsshininglinesleadingallthewaybacktoLondon;andtheblackmouthoftherunnel,wheretrainscomescreamingoutofthedarknesslikegreatwildanimals.Theyhaveawonderfullifethere.Suchas,Peterhadstolenthecoalfromtherailwaystation,buthewasbeenforgivenandeducatedbytheheadofthestation;Theymetanoldmaneverydaywhowasalwaysinatrain,andwavedtoeachother.;Theywasverybraveandclevertopullupatrain,stoppeditfromcrashingintothestones;TheygavePerksmanygiftsfromtheneighborstoshowthethanksofallofthem;Theysavedaboywhoselegwashurt,andhewasjustthegrandsonoftheoldman,whohelpedthemalot...Atlast,theyknowthattheirfatheriswrongtolifeinprisonforfiveyears,Bobbietrytorescuetheirfatherthroughtheoldman,incoincidence,theoldmanisjustthemanwhoisdistrustingandinvestigatingthecase...Theirfathercomesbackhomesoonafterwithoutanycharge.Ihavethoughtthatthisbookwaswrittenforchildrenatthefirstbeginning,butactuallyitalsoabookwrittenforalladults.IfindthelonelinessdeelyhideintheheartofEdith.Shevividlydescribedhowseriouslythechildrenmisstheirdad,justlikeEditheverdid.Butinthisbook,Edithtrytotransformthechildren’smissingtoagreatpower,whichencouragesthemtolookforallpossiblewaystosurvival.Shealsotrytoexpressanideathatwarmthishiddeninsideeverypersonthroughdepictingsomekindpeoplewhogenerouslygivethethreechildrenhelpwhenevertheyareintrouble.Soevenwesufferfrompovertysomeday,weshouldn’tlosefate.RailwayChildrentellsusthatpowerishiddeninourbody.Ihavethoughtthatthisbookwaswrittenforchildrenatthefirstbeginning,butactuallyitalsoabookwrittenforalladults.IfindthelonelinessdeelyhideintheheartofEdith.Shevividlydescribedhowseriouslythechildrenmisstheirdad,justlikeEditheverdid.Butinthisbook,Edithtrytotransformthechildren’smissingtoagreatpower,whichencouragesthemtolookforallpossiblewaystosurvival.Shealsotrytoexpressanideathatwarmthishiddeninsideeverypersonthroughdepictingsomekindpeoplewhogenerouslygivethethreechildrenhelpwhenevertheyareintrouble.Soevenwesufferfrompovertysomeday,weshouldn’tlosefate.RailwayChildrentellsusthatpowerishiddeninourbody.