Five Children and It

Five Children and It (1902) is a childrens fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The first book in Nesbits beloved Psammead trilogywhich also includes The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) and The Story of the Amulet (1906)Five Children and It is a story of childish wonder, adventure, and the power of imagination.

Five siblings move with their parents from London to the English countryside, where they adjust to the rhythms of rural life and spend their days playing and exploring outside. One day, while playing in a local gravel pit, they discover a strange creature with the eyes of a snail, the ears of a bat, a spider-shaped body, and the limbs of a monkey. Known as a Psammead, the being is a sand fairy who grants the children one wish per daywhile warning them that whatever they wish for will turn to stone when the sun sets. The childrens fear quickly turns to wonder, and they begin to wish for increasingly ambitious things: a pile of gold coins; the power of flight; superhuman size; a castle. With each wish comes a commensurate adventure, forcing the children to escape more and more dangerous situations. As it grants the children wish after wish, the initially cynical Psammead grows to appreciate their vibrant imaginations and seemingly unquenchable passion for adventure. Five Children and It is masterpiece of fantasy from Edith Nesbit, one of the twentieth centurys leading authors of childrens fiction.

With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Edith Nesbits Five Children and It is a classic of English childrens literature reimagined for modern readers.