Customer Reviews
A bit oldfashioned but still fantastic! - By: Mehajabeen Farid, 02 May 2008 
This book's author, E. Nesbit, has written other stories including `The Railway Children', `The Enchanted Castle' & `The Phoenix & the Carpet'. This is her most well-loved, well-known & best-selling book.
She was bornin Londonin the year of 1858, which is about 150 years ago now. The illustrator was H. R. Millar; here is a bit about him:
After studying art for a while, he began illustrating for magazinesin Birmingham. Soon, he was invited to London by the editor of the Graphic, & worked for many periodicals, including the English Illustrated Magazine, Punch, & Good Words, & being a frequent artist on the Strand Magazine, where amid other work & he illustrated fiction by E. Nesbit.
This book is very famous. It is about five children called Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril & baby Hilary, or called by everyone - Lamb. The find a sand-fairy, which is the `It'.
lots of intresting twists - By: Alexa, 13 Sep 2006 
This is the story of 5 children who, while diggingin the sand find a sand fairy that will grant them 1 wish a day. Sounds simple enough but the fairy never grants the wishin the way you think he will. A funny light hearted story with lots of intresting twists . The plot of the story is very good & unique & doesn't slows down for a second.
Spellbinding and hilarious - By: , 18 Aug 2005 
Kept my five-year-old & ten-year-old entranced for a whole journey to the Lake District & back, & we enjoyed it too. It was funny & suspenseful & wise, & the Psammead's voice was brilliantly done - brought out all its grumpy cat qualities.
An extremely enjoyable book for young readers - By: Cecilia S. Idiart, 19 Aug 2004 "Five Children & It" is Edith Nesbit's enchanting novel about four naughty children & a cute baby who find a fairy that will grant them a wish a day. The story is ingenious & well-plotted & is writtenin a fresh, modern style that will hugely entertain the young reader. Moreover, he or she will be able to extract from this book several sweet messages about goodness, generosity & the value of reflection.
The first child friendly book of the 20th century - By: , 07 Nov 2001 E. Nesbit may have written this 100 years ago but her writing has retained it's freshness & humour because she saw children as people, not as empty vessels waiting to be filled with life deadening facts. Not so usualin 1901.
Social realism & humour aboundin her books & like her laws of magic, there are no set rules to how she wrote her books. She established new territory that all subsequent good writers for children have had the freedom to explore.
National Curriculum Literacy strategists take note. Nesbit did not learn to write by investigating non-fictional texts. She had a vivid & exciting childhood, free of of academic constraints.
Read this book & all the Nesbits. Her books of full of the true magic of childhood.
