Scan barcode
eletricjb's review against another edition
3.0
A charming relic, but it can be left in the past, I think.
apochemu's review against another edition
5.0
We rather enjoyed this book. It was fun to see what the children would wish and how it would always turn to trouble. Be careful what you wish for! I liked the characters and the relationships they had seemed genuine and their actions authentic. It was well written and drew us in.
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Five Children and It is clearly a staple in the children's literature fantasy genre for clear reasons--first, being that this book offers a chance for children to explore and imagine and brainstorm, which is a staple in more romantic and less industrialistic and educational children's literature, and second, being that this book was published in the 40s and allow children to create a world of their own making.
And working in all those dynamics, that just means that this book is really fun. Each chapter has its own plotline and wish to follow through and deal with for the day, and each time it makes me laugh. What these children come up with as wishes and as workarounds and loopholes! And those illustrations, oh, man. The first time I saw the Psammead, I was like, #mood. Same. Me in the mornings. Me before coffee.
But, really, the amount of imagination that it must have taken Nesbit to write this...I don't know if I could think of half of the workarounds that she does. And somehow, that makes it even more fantastic. If you're looking to read classic children's literature, I definitely recommend this!
Review cross-listed here!
And working in all those dynamics, that just means that this book is really fun. Each chapter has its own plotline and wish to follow through and deal with for the day, and each time it makes me laugh. What these children come up with as wishes and as workarounds and loopholes! And those illustrations, oh, man. The first time I saw the Psammead, I was like, #mood. Same. Me in the mornings. Me before coffee.
But, really, the amount of imagination that it must have taken Nesbit to write this...I don't know if I could think of half of the workarounds that she does. And somehow, that makes it even more fantastic. If you're looking to read classic children's literature, I definitely recommend this!
Review cross-listed here!
cleaoverstreet's review against another edition
5.0
Main takeaway:
If I ever meet a sand fairy I will wish for something practical. Nothing grandiose, otherwise it is bound to become my nightmare. Like they say, be careful for what you wish for!
If I ever meet a sand fairy I will wish for something practical. Nothing grandiose, otherwise it is bound to become my nightmare. Like they say, be careful for what you wish for!
hoboken's review against another edition
3.0
Good late Victorian fun. You lose something when you read a children's book for the first time as an adult. But I would have liked this as a kid although it doesn't have the kind of compelling characters that make you read a book over and over again--like Alice or Dr. Dolittle. So it's lighter weight, a fairy tale with early 20th-century English schoolboy speak. And the omniscient narrator gets a bit arch at times.
Having the knights' equipment come from different historical periods b/c the children knew about them only from pastiche illustrations in their When Knights Were Bold books was a good touch. The episode in which the baby grows up was amusing. The children learn a mild lesson--be careful what you wish for--but not in a life-changing way that gives you confidence they're going to live more wisely. And the Psammead doesn't really function as anything more than a freakily animated magic lamp.
If you want magic in the backyard, which is apparently what E. Nesbit was going for, Charlotte's Web runs rings around 5 children. But you can certainly see Nesbit's influence on Lewis and even perhaps on Dorothy L. Sayers. At least one of the Wimsey mysteries refers to a recent financial scandal, the Megatherium trust.
Having the knights' equipment come from different historical periods b/c the children knew about them only from pastiche illustrations in their When Knights Were Bold books was a good touch. The episode in which the baby grows up was amusing. The children learn a mild lesson--be careful what you wish for--but not in a life-changing way that gives you confidence they're going to live more wisely. And the Psammead doesn't really function as anything more than a freakily animated magic lamp.
If you want magic in the backyard, which is apparently what E. Nesbit was going for, Charlotte's Web runs rings around 5 children. But you can certainly see Nesbit's influence on Lewis and even perhaps on Dorothy L. Sayers. At least one of the Wimsey mysteries refers to a recent financial scandal, the Megatherium trust.
kismazsola's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
leskit's review against another edition
4.0
I read this aloud to a 5th grade class and they enjoyed it very much. I was a little surprised for the enthusiasm for the book. I mean, I thought they would like it, but I was surprised at how much. It can be challenging to read such an old book to children. Lanaguage structure can be problematic, but they enjoyed it - which was great! There were a few things I explained and we talked about. There's a mention of Bedlam (the psychiatric hospital) and I was surprised and pleased that one girl knew all about it. We had a discussion on advances in caring for the mentally ill. There was one spot nearly at the end of the book that the housekeeper calls a maid a slut and I had to creatively deal with that. I don't think slut was meant in the same way we mean it now. I read a lot of older books to kids and have had to improvise or discuss things quite a few times. I do think kids like to hear about how children entertained themselves "long ago." Anyway, it was a fun read aloud and also pleased the kids enjoyed it so much.
sarahbowling6608's review against another edition
2.0
I remember really liking The Railway Children so I was excited to read something else by Nesbit. I found the children in this book very petulant and whiny. I also thought they spoke very unkindly to each other. I will note that I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator made them sound very whiny so maybe I wouldn't have been so bothered by it had I read it with the voices in my head. I did enjoy the storyline of natural consequences for hasty or thoughtless wishes, I just wish (see what I did there lol) that the children weren't so nasty to each other.
CC: magic, very unsupervised children, unkindness, fighting, racist/stereotypical portrayal of "gypsies" and "red Indians"
CC: magic, very unsupervised children, unkindness, fighting, racist/stereotypical portrayal of "gypsies" and "red Indians"
sanjastajdohar's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Well, this was an interesting experience. On the one hand, it was imaginative, fun and different, read superbly and witty on numerous occasions. On the other hand, some things didn't age well (the Indians and Gypsy stories among others). Seems to me a bit too overtly instructive at times. But, all in all, it is a classic for a reason and it was fun following the children's mishaps.