Google Doodle pays tribute to work of children's author Edith Nesbit

 

Melanie Leather
Wednesday 21 August 2013 14:06 EDT
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Google Doodle has celebrated the work of children's author Edith Nesbit, who was born 155 years ago, with an illustration of The Railway Children - her most famous work.

Click here to see a gallery of previous Google Doodles

Born in 1858 in Kennington, Surrey, the English writer, poet and political activist wrote or collaborated on over 60 books for children but it was 'The Railway Children' which made her a household name.

The story, published in 1906, centres on a family who are forced to leave a comfortable life in London and move to 'Three Chimneys', a house near a railway, after the father is falsely accused of spying charges and thrown in jail.

His children - Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis - strike up a close friendship with a commuter who catches a daily train from the station and he eventually helps prove the father's innocence and secure his release from prison.

The book has never been out of print and its popularity has been boosted by TV and film adaptations, most famously with the 1970 movie starring Jenny Agutter which remains a fixture on Christmas programme schedules.

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