One of the central themes in our 2024 book choice is engineering and railway infrastructure. The three young protagonists in E. Nesbit’s The Railway Children become captivated by the railway that they move near to.

We are delighted to partner with Cabaret Mechanical Theatre in 2024 to offer automata-making workshops to primary school aged children as one of the ‘8 Ways to Connect’ schools engagement offer. Children will be making an automata train as an entry point into the book – a creative way of approaching reading and writing and linking them up with fun!

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre’s workshop facilitator, Lou Lou Cousin, will be highlighting how the protagonists love and celebrate trains. She will also skill up the early career festival team in this fascinating 3D-art form.

Yes, exploring a heritage book can be this exciting!