Five Children and It
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Five Children and It
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Narrated by:
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Johanna Ward
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By:
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E. Nesbit
About this listen
Curious to see if people on the other side of the globe walk upside down, Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their baby brother start digging a hole to Australia. They don’t get too far, however, before they dig up a furry brown creature with bat’s ears. It is a Psammead, an ancient sand-fairy.
The Sammyadd, as the children call it, grumpily tells them that he is obliged to grant their wishes, because making people’s wishes come true is what Sandfairies do. However, there is one catch: The wishes come undone at sunset. No matter how carefully the children plan, their wishes keep backfiring, and they realize that you have to be careful what you wish for - you may get it.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about Five Children and It
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Moonspider
- 04-29-15
Enjoyed it!
It was fun to listen to. This is an older story but I will be reading it to my grandchildren. Makes you use your imagination.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Katherine
- 12-03-13
Charming children’s fantasy
Originally posted at Fantasy Literature
Five Children and It combines eleven stories that Edith Nesbit wrote about five siblings who discovered a wish-granting fairy called The Psammead in the sandlot of the house they recently moved into. The stories were originally serialized in shorter form in Strand Magazine in 1900. The first story (the first chapter of the novel) tells how the children moved from London to Kent, explored their new house and yard, and found the Psammead. He grumpily agrees to grant the children a daily wish that will end at sundown.
Each chapter tells the story of a single day, how the children wish for something, and how it goes wrong. Usually they wish for something obvious like beauty or money, but sometimes they accidentally wish for something they didn’t really want granted, such as when Cyril carelessly wishes that his baby brother would grow up. The consequences are always unexpected and usually quite awful, and the children have to get themselves out of the situation they got themselves into, often at a cost that leaves them poorer than they were before they made the wish. It’s all rather funny and there are many lessons learned. The take away message is to be careful what you wish for!
I love Edith Nesbit’s stories — they’re still as humorous and wonderful as they were over 100 years ago. They’re delightfully old-fashioned. For example, the little boys play outside in coats and ties and have to roll down their stockings to show off their bruises. Nesbit is an intrusive narrator, often offering commentary and amusing insights about the characters or their predicaments and sometimes making polite suggestions for the reader’s own behavior. I thought the book was charming and I think it will appeal to any modern reader, child or adult.
Five Children and It has been adapted into anime, comics, a BBC TV series and movies, and several children’s authors have expanded upon the concept in their own novels. Nesbit also wrote some later stories which included the Psammead.
Five Children and It is easily found for free online since it’s now in the public domain. I listened to the audio version read by Johanna Ward who is absolutely wonderful. I got this book for $3 by “purchasing” this free Kindle version and then using the Whispersync feature to purchase the audio version. If you do likewise, make sure you’re getting Johanna Ward’s narration. There are others, but I doubt they could be better.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- sasquatchCR
- 12-30-24
it's really good
nothing because the plot and everything is really well thought out and I didn't dislike anything
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mike Bickle
- 12-04-21
A Timeless Children’s Classic
The narration is superb in this fantastic and fun tale for children but still enjoyable as an adult!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-24-22
Recommend to children
Interesting! You can see children's naive through the story. It satisfied our dream of magic. In conclusion, a great classic!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CarrieTheGood
- 01-18-19
A magical English adventure!
Any fans of CS Lewis' Narnia will love E. Nesbit's stories. The children arrive for a summer in the countryside, and right away find a curious creature who is able to grant wishes. Each chapter describes their misadventures (for the wish always seems to backfire). My children and I especially enjoyed the camaraderie between siblings in this story and the funny details.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Karla Milton
- 11-06-21
A Delightful Book
So charming. How I wish children played this way now. They are so lucky to have each other. These manners are a thing of the past with todays youth.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Bessie Mae
- 10-24-20
Hidden Gem
How have I never heard of this book before? Why has it not been made into a film? A light, gently humorous fairy tale about childhood logic and the folly of getting what you wish for. The only drawback is that it was written in 1902, and that shows in the grammar, word choice, gender politics, and most regrettably, racism.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kattie
- 04-25-22
so sweet!
such a sweet story and good life lessons! my 5 year old and I listened to this and enjoyed it thoroughly!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 03-26-12
Great book
Would you consider the audio edition of Five Children and It to be better than the print version?
I think it is a better book as a read-aloud.
What about Johanna Ward’s performance did you like?
I liked her smooth voice and the way read it.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I liked the part where they first find the sand fairy.
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1 person found this helpful