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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.
smitchy's review against another edition
3.0
I can see why this one has been loved for so many years - it has a very Enid Blyton-like feel with the adventures of five siblings and the grumpy Sand-fairy.
This reminded me a bit of the The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, where wishes are granted but with deadly consequences. Five Children and It, of course,is written with a child audience in mind - the wishes the children are granted always have contrary consequences but nothing that can't be fixed by sundown. The wishes may be the beginning of their problems but these kids love to create a bit of chaos too - stealing lunch from the Vicar, tricking gypsies and carnival folk, causing chaos for their poor maid / nanny. The kid's lack of perfection makes them that much more likeable, especially to the children reading the book. I you have finished The Magic Faraway Tree then Five Children and It should be next on your reading list.
This reminded me a bit of the The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs, where wishes are granted but with deadly consequences. Five Children and It, of course,is written with a child audience in mind - the wishes the children are granted always have contrary consequences but nothing that can't be fixed by sundown. The wishes may be the beginning of their problems but these kids love to create a bit of chaos too - stealing lunch from the Vicar, tricking gypsies and carnival folk, causing chaos for their poor maid / nanny. The kid's lack of perfection makes them that much more likeable, especially to the children reading the book. I you have finished The Magic Faraway Tree then Five Children and It should be next on your reading list.
roseannmvp's review against another edition
5.0
What a lovely moral tale of wishes gone awry and the five children who playfully, childishly suffer through them. A little dated, but a sweet tale still worth reading!
readsewknit's review against another edition
3.0
Our campus library has a beyond generous lending policy for faculty and staff; when it was clear in March of 2020 that the world was about to look very different soon, the last couple days on campus I made trips to the campus library to stock up on books, knowing that I wouldn't have to return them for a year. The first day I focused on my youngest daughter, especially, as she was just at the cusp of having reading click for her in kindergarten and I didn't want to lose those emerging skills, and our early readers are somewhat limited at home. I went into the library room primarily set aside for student teachers and packed full a reusable shopping tote with dozens of suitable titles. (That task accomplished, the second day I reserved for gathering titles I myself aspired to read.)
Edith Nesbit was not on my radar when I was growing up, but I've since heard a couple of her books recommended. When I spotted Five Children and It in the children's section, I added it to my pile. It was a hefty illustrated version that I hoped we might get to read aloud. I didn't start it until this fall, and it got a long break over Christmas when we turned our attention to our advent tradition, but we recently finished it.
In it, five siblings are at a vacation home, somewhat left to their own devices while their mother tends a sick relative and their father is working. They stumble upon a magical creature who agrees to grant them one wish a day (the effects of which disappear at sunset), and thus we have our framework.
As one might imagine, the children don't have the sense to think through the consequences of their wishes, so they begin the day with grand ideas for what their day will hold and often find themselves hoping to be rid of their wish because of the possible dangers and trials it brought about.
The vocabulary is rich with archaic or unfamiliar words that were at times challenging for the girls to make sense of; I found myself swapping out words on occasion to keep the flow of the story going. Not surprisingly, over the years sensibilities have changed, and I was uncomfortable enough with the second-to-last chapter I ended up skipping it during our read-aloud (it was called "Scalped!" and as I started, I feared it would be full of untrue stereotypes and behaviors, so I did a cursory skim to ensure we weren't missing any plot points and skipped to the final chapter, later going back to read it for myself).
I don't know that it's a must-read as far as canonical children's literature is concerned, but both girls did enjoy hearing about their antics and were invested in the children's success or failure for each chapter (more so the ten-year-old, less so the six-year-old).
Edith Nesbit was not on my radar when I was growing up, but I've since heard a couple of her books recommended. When I spotted Five Children and It in the children's section, I added it to my pile. It was a hefty illustrated version that I hoped we might get to read aloud. I didn't start it until this fall, and it got a long break over Christmas when we turned our attention to our advent tradition, but we recently finished it.
In it, five siblings are at a vacation home, somewhat left to their own devices while their mother tends a sick relative and their father is working. They stumble upon a magical creature who agrees to grant them one wish a day (the effects of which disappear at sunset), and thus we have our framework.
As one might imagine, the children don't have the sense to think through the consequences of their wishes, so they begin the day with grand ideas for what their day will hold and often find themselves hoping to be rid of their wish because of the possible dangers and trials it brought about.
The vocabulary is rich with archaic or unfamiliar words that were at times challenging for the girls to make sense of; I found myself swapping out words on occasion to keep the flow of the story going. Not surprisingly, over the years sensibilities have changed, and I was uncomfortable enough with the second-to-last chapter I ended up skipping it during our read-aloud (it was called "Scalped!" and as I started, I feared it would be full of untrue stereotypes and behaviors, so I did a cursory skim to ensure we weren't missing any plot points and skipped to the final chapter, later going back to read it for myself).
I don't know that it's a must-read as far as canonical children's literature is concerned, but both girls did enjoy hearing about their antics and were invested in the children's success or failure for each chapter (more so the ten-year-old, less so the six-year-old).
nearly_empty_nesting's review against another edition
4.0
Wish granting stories are one of my favorites and this did not disappoint. A delightful tale I never heard of before seeing it in the Hoopla bonus borrow titles, and I’m so glad I gave it a listen.
forever_day's review against another edition
2.0
I'll prelude this review by saying that books whose main focus are wishes are usually a miss for me, and that is simply because the main plot points of those books seem to be the making of a dubious wish and then learning the lesson that it was a Bad Idea.
Unfortunately, because I am very fond of this writing style and E Nesbit, this book was much of the same... over and over again. They'd try to learn their lesson and then something would go wrong, which was a little frustrating to read and I've never particularly enjoyed the feeling that I could've done better than the characters.
I liked the Psammead, I found his character v funny (in a way I definitely wouldn't have appreciated as a child) and the characters of the other children were also v sweet, but I just couldn't gel with the plot.
Unfortunately, because I am very fond of this writing style and E Nesbit, this book was much of the same... over and over again. They'd try to learn their lesson and then something would go wrong, which was a little frustrating to read and I've never particularly enjoyed the feeling that I could've done better than the characters.
I liked the Psammead, I found his character v funny (in a way I definitely wouldn't have appreciated as a child) and the characters of the other children were also v sweet, but I just couldn't gel with the plot.
tatinha's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
Minor: Racism, Bullying, and Sexism
oldenglishrose's review against another edition
5.0
Five Children and It tells the story of Robert, Anthea, Cyril and Jane and their baby brother, known affectionately as the Lamb. While holidaying in the country, their parents are both unexpectedly called away for various reasons, leaving the children to entertain themselves all summer. On the first day, they go to play in an old gravel pit and there they uncover a mysterious creature: a Psammead. These sand fairies have the ability to grant wishes which will last only until sunset. However, the old saying that you should be careful what you wish for proves true, and things often don’t work out quite as the children plan as their summer suddenly becomes much less dull and far more fraught with adventure.
There are so many things in this book which I find irresistible. First and foremost, I love the way that the world of the five children is completely conventional with the exception of one strange and magical thing: the Psammead. In fact, the world is so ordinary that the story seems almost believeable. Although the Psammead grants one wish a day for the children, everything else happens exactly as it would without the magical element. Thus when the children wish to be as beautiful as the day, neither their little brother nor the servants recognise them and they have to beg for food from neighbouring houses and they frequently get into trouble when their escapades keep them out past supper time. Even their wish that the servants won’t notice whatever they wish for, an attempt to avoid getting into trouble, only leads to more disaster and scoldings. In fact, the children’s wishes usually either don’t work out as they might have hoped or lead them into unforeseen scrapes from which they must extricate themselves without being able to explain to any grown ups about the magical happenings which have resulted in these strange situations. This makes for a far more satisfying book, in my opinion. A book that simply chronicled the successful wishes about a group of children might be entertaining if it were well written, but it would be fairly one dimensional. However, a book about wishes that backfire and wishes that aren’t necessarily what you intended is an engaging idea with endless possibilities. The pleasure in reading Five Children and It comes not so much from seeing the children enjoy the results of their wishes but in watching them deal with the unexpected but inevitable consequences of those wishes.
The story is brought to life by E. Nesbit’s wonderful narrative voice which permeates the book. She adopts a conspiratorial tone, as though she is letting the reader in on a big secret which makes the story feel even more special. Her humorous asides on every subject are a joy to read and can be appreciated just as much by adults as by children. She passes judgement on the children, on the adults around them and on grown ups outside the world of the book, but she does so in a way that is never condemning although it is accurate and astute. She invites the reader to share these opinions and so thoroughly draws you into the narrative.
The Psammead itself is a wonderful creation. Although Nesbit calls it a fairy, it definitely isn’t what springs to mind when using the word, as you can see from H. R. Millar’s illustrations from my edition of the book. Fat and furry with eyes on the end of stalks like a snail, it is a thoroughly original creation. It is crotchety and short-tempered (although with good reason, I feel, being pestered daily by five children) and it makes a refreshing change to have an unwilling, grumpy magical creature in a children’s book, rather than one that is obliging. One could almost suspect, as the children do, that the Psammead is wilfully misinterpreting their wishes in order to land them in difficult situations deliberately. The presence of this creature certainly adds to the humour of the book and helps to make it a wonderful read.
There are so many things in this book which I find irresistible. First and foremost, I love the way that the world of the five children is completely conventional with the exception of one strange and magical thing: the Psammead. In fact, the world is so ordinary that the story seems almost believeable. Although the Psammead grants one wish a day for the children, everything else happens exactly as it would without the magical element. Thus when the children wish to be as beautiful as the day, neither their little brother nor the servants recognise them and they have to beg for food from neighbouring houses and they frequently get into trouble when their escapades keep them out past supper time. Even their wish that the servants won’t notice whatever they wish for, an attempt to avoid getting into trouble, only leads to more disaster and scoldings. In fact, the children’s wishes usually either don’t work out as they might have hoped or lead them into unforeseen scrapes from which they must extricate themselves without being able to explain to any grown ups about the magical happenings which have resulted in these strange situations. This makes for a far more satisfying book, in my opinion. A book that simply chronicled the successful wishes about a group of children might be entertaining if it were well written, but it would be fairly one dimensional. However, a book about wishes that backfire and wishes that aren’t necessarily what you intended is an engaging idea with endless possibilities. The pleasure in reading Five Children and It comes not so much from seeing the children enjoy the results of their wishes but in watching them deal with the unexpected but inevitable consequences of those wishes.
The story is brought to life by E. Nesbit’s wonderful narrative voice which permeates the book. She adopts a conspiratorial tone, as though she is letting the reader in on a big secret which makes the story feel even more special. Her humorous asides on every subject are a joy to read and can be appreciated just as much by adults as by children. She passes judgement on the children, on the adults around them and on grown ups outside the world of the book, but she does so in a way that is never condemning although it is accurate and astute. She invites the reader to share these opinions and so thoroughly draws you into the narrative.
The Psammead itself is a wonderful creation. Although Nesbit calls it a fairy, it definitely isn’t what springs to mind when using the word, as you can see from H. R. Millar’s illustrations from my edition of the book. Fat and furry with eyes on the end of stalks like a snail, it is a thoroughly original creation. It is crotchety and short-tempered (although with good reason, I feel, being pestered daily by five children) and it makes a refreshing change to have an unwilling, grumpy magical creature in a children’s book, rather than one that is obliging. One could almost suspect, as the children do, that the Psammead is wilfully misinterpreting their wishes in order to land them in difficult situations deliberately. The presence of this creature certainly adds to the humour of the book and helps to make it a wonderful read.