Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety

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Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety Book Cover
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Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety Book Cover

Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety was published in 1991 by the British Railways Board. The British Railways Board had asked Roald Dahl to write the text of the book, and Quentin Blake to illustrate it, to help young people enjoy using the railways safely.

The book is structured as a conversation with children. In the introduction, Dahl laments that adults are always telling children what to do and what not to do, and says he would not have agreed to write the book, which tells children what to do, if not for the importance of what he is about to discuss. He then goes on to list the "dreaded DOs and DON'Ts" of railway safety - such as not to stand on platform edges, walk along rail tracks, or open train doors while the train is moving. Most of these points are accompanied by humorous or sobering Blake illustrations. Some of the DOs and DON'Ts also include anecdotes from Dahl - sometimes personal, sometimes statistical - reinforcing why they are important rules to follow.