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Title | : | Five Children and It (Five Children #1) |
Author | : | E. Nesbit |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 237 pages |
Published | : | December 1st 1996 by Puffin (first published 1902) |
Categories | : | Fantasy. Classics. Childrens. Fiction |
E. Nesbit
Paperback | Pages: 237 pages Rating: 3.88 | 21887 Users | 996 Reviews
Description Concering Books Five Children and It (Five Children #1)
I read Five Children and It with the Women’s Classic Literature Enthusiasts group and enjoyed it immensely. If you like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and its series' mates by Betty MacDonald, you will like Five Children and It. The ideal child reader of this book is between second and fifth grade, with a fondness for historical fiction or British classics. (For comparison, this is substantially easier reading then C.S. Lewis’ fiction.) The ideal adult reader is anyone who enjoys classic children’s novels and/or Edwardian literature. Five Children and It was published in 1902 and is the first novel in Nesbit’s Psammead trilogy, which consists of Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904), and The Story of the Amulet(1906). In Five Children and It, a group of siblings (Anthea, Robert, Cyril, Jane, and a baby who is referred to as the Lamb) find the Psammead in a sand quarry near their home in the English countryside. The Psammead is a sand fairy able to grant wishes. This classic takes us to Edwardian England, where horses and buggies were the most common form of transportation, and servants looked after the children. *If you are spoiler-averse, you may want to stop reading further.* The most successful aspects of Five Children and It were the world-building, the authentic relationships between and amongst the children, and Nesbit's writing style. I could relate to the children and their emotions. They were described and interacted in a way that fit their ages and I found them to be differentiated in age-appropriate manners. Nesbit’s writing style struck just the right tone for me, between communicating a moral and having fun. The morals weren’t overblown or eye-rolling. The vocabulary didn't strike me as dumbed-down for children, but it also was not as flowery and ornate as Frances Hodgson Burnett's contemporaneously written works and was a style I found highly appealing. For 75% of the book, the adventures worked for me, and my pre-6th-grade self would have adored this book because it doesn't talk down to children and is sufficiently complex to appeal to adults. The sexist and racist elements (one chapter involves gypsies) grated on me but were tolerable, if Nesbit’s handling is appropriately appreciated as progressive in the context of her 1902 peers, until I encountered "Scalps" (it describes an adventure populated by “red Indians”) which made me want to take a shower. YMMV. The last story involving the mother and stolen (or magically relocated) jewelry was unsuccessful for me, and I am not certain why - although I suspect that the mother's involvement in the story makes it less of an adventure and more of a problem to be solved; less charming and imaginative and more dire. As with the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series, the chapters of Five Children and It read like a series of only-lightly-connected short stories, some of which were more successful than others. It was great fun, though, a super-quick read (6 hours perhaps?) and I recommend it to anyone who reads the description and is intrigued, or who is a fan of Edwardian classics. Background on the author: E. Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey in 1858. The death of her father when she was four years old and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a childhood absent focused adult attention, and frequent moves. Her family moved across Europe in search of healthy climates for her sister, only to return to England for financial reasons. Growing up, she lived in France, Spain and Germany in addition to various locations in Great Britain. Her education came from a combination of periods in local elementary/grammar schools and the occasional boarding school but predominately through reading. Nesbit wanted to be known as a poet and in her teens had a poem published. This gave her greater confidence to write more, both for adults and children, but it is for her 60+ children's books (including those on which she collaborated with other authors) she is best known. She distinguished herself from other writers of her time by writing about children as they were, and rewriting conventional adventure stories to present them with female characters in lead roles. Her friends included HG Wells and George Bernard Shaw. She also was a political activist and a follower of William Morris and she and her husband Hubert Bland were among the founders of the Fabian Society, a socialist organization later affiliated to the Labour Party. Nesbit was an active lecturer and prolific writer on socialism during the 1880s. Interesting links and articles (which may, necessarily, include spoilers): http://www.foliosociety.com/author/ed... (biography) https://lit4334goldenage.wordpress.co... http://muse.jhu.edu/article/271157List Books In Pursuance Of Five Children and It (Five Children #1)
Original Title: | Five Children and It |
ISBN: | 0140367357 (ISBN13: 9780140367355) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | Five Children #1, The Psammead Trilogy |
Setting: | Kent, England |
Rating Appertaining To Books Five Children and It (Five Children #1)
Ratings: 3.88 From 21887 Users | 996 ReviewsJudgment Appertaining To Books Five Children and It (Five Children #1)
This novel was written in 1902. The author Edith Nesbit tells the story of five children (obviously) who come across a psammead, a sand fairy, while playing in a deserted gravel pit. This is one of the earliest examples of children left on their own who then have great adventures. Tha family goes to a house in the country on holiday when their father is called back to work and their mother leaves them to take care of her own sick mother. The children are basically on their own, minimallyVideo review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=064vd...This was just such a nice nostalgia trip for me. I'm sure I used to watch a TV program of this story when I was younger as I can remember Psammead, who is a sand fairy. This story follows the adventures and situations five children find themselves in once they discover Psammead and find out he will grant one wish between them all each day.I find it impossible to be too harsh on this story because it is literally a children's classic and I
There's nothing better then rereading some favorite classics with your children. In that respect, this year has been a really good one for me and my son. He enjoyed the adventures of Robert, Cyril, Jane, Anthea and The Lamb a lot. He asked questions, fervently professed his dislike for the cunning sand fairy, and I dare say learned some things from the five children's trials. One thing is certain: one SHOULD be careful what one wishes for :D
My childhood just put on an Edwardian boater hat and some rompers and came and WHACKED ME GLEEFULLY IN THE FACE.
This is a perfectly delightful story of the misadventures of five siblings who are granted a daily wish by a prehistoric creature who lives in the sandpit near their home. One of the eleven chapters would, by modern standards, be deemed racist. However, this fault might be overlooked when the reader considers the date of publication and could be used as a teachable moment if reading with a child. All in all, this entertaining tale elicited many chuckles and the occasional loud guffaw! The most
This was a rather pleasant trip down memory lane for me, as I distinctly remember rushing home from school in order to watch the TV adaptation of this book. Unfortunately though, I didn't enjoy this as much as I had anticipated.I can understand why this book is a children's classic. It is different, imaginative, and really, let's be honest, who wouldn't want to casually find a sand fairy?This book lacked something for me. Something that I cannot quite put my finger on, but it has definitely
Nesbit is the grandmother of children's fantasy literature. Written in 1902, Five Children and It can be considered to have inspired many who came later, including Edward Eager, whose Tales of Magic series owes a great debt to Nesbit (this Eager freely admits)The book shows its age but it is much more accessible than the other books I've read that she penned. Five siblings find a creature who will grant one wish a day and madcap hilarity ensues, replete with political incorrectness and
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