The perfect introduction to Thomas the Tank Engine.

This is a story about Bertie the Bus. Bertie and Thomas both think they can go faster than the other. To settle the point they decide to have a race.

Thomas & Friends is a great way to pass on the tradition of Thomas to early readers. Children aged 2 and up will love meeting classic characters such as Percy, James, Gordon, and Toby down on The Fat Controller's railway.

Thomas has been teaching children lessons about life and friendship for over 70 years. He ranks alongside other beloved character such as Paddington Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Rabbit as an essential part of our literary heritage.

This book features in the following series: Thomas And Friends, Thomas Story Library .

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a short story book. This book was published 2008 by Egmont UK Ltd .

Reverend Wilbert Awdry was born in Hampshire in 1911. He grew up close to the railway and was convinced that the steam engines all had different personalities. He used to imagine conversations between them. Later when he was grown up and his son Christopher became ill with measles, Wilbert invented the Thomas stories to entertain him. Christopher kept asking for more stories and Wilbert began writing them. The first of the railway series was published in 1945. Awdry wrote 26 Railway books in total before Christopher took over the series.