He has written more than 150 books, including the internationally celebrated War Horse , and was appointed Children’s Laureate in 2003. It tells the story of Iris, who dreams of being a train driver when she grows up, just like her dad, who drives Flying Scotsman. Flying Scotsman and the Best Birthday Ever is a lovely story about a little girl who dreams of working on the footplate of Flying Scotsman just like her Dad. What if Dad was asked to attempt to break a speed record with Flying Scotsman’s journey to Edinburgh?

A celebration of the world’s most famous locomotive’s centenary, Flying Scotsman And The Best Birthday Ever is the work of Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman – two of Britain’s best-loved children’s book creators. See the full collection of original watercolours created for the beautiful new Flying Scotsman book, illustrated by Michael Foreman and written by Michael Morpurgo. An inspiring tale from Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman celebrating the world’s most iconic train, Flying Scotsman, and its greatest fan, a young girl named Iris. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.Other parts of our museum are also closed, please check the Visit page for the latest info about closures. Morpurgo was awarded an OBE in 2007 and a knighthood in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

But each time Flying Scotsman pulls away, Iris wishes more than anything that she could be in the driver's cab, just like her dad. Flying Scotsman was built in Doncaster works, the first locomotive of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) and entered service on 24 February 1923. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Your selection was perfect for our children and what really made the difference was your ability to engage with each child, discuss their interests and help them to choose a suitable book based on your extensive knowledge of the books you were selling. Your words, like your reviews, bring books to life and give them a voice before the front cover is even turned.

Michael Morpurgo and Michael Foreman chart a twentieth- century history of Flying Scotsman through Iris’s story, which travels through her work in the second world war, to the train’s international journeys too.