Take a photo of a barcode or cover
![Five Children and It: E. Nesbit (Classics, Literature) [Annotated] by E. Nesbit](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/97aam85yqpbfmzo3v04k0l2nim55)
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Somehow, this was really obviously meant as a story to teach children lessons, but it also seemed overly difficult for children to truly appreciate? The children were both simultaneously shockingly stupid for their age and way too intelligent. For starters, all they ever cared about was money, the baby, and FOOD. They constantly complained about missing (or potentially missing) supper, as if that’s the actual worst thing they could have come up with. At the same time, they had really incredible foresight about certain potential situations and were unrealistically smart at coming up with solutions to problems.
TLDR; Super annoying kids, story was really dull for being about a sand fairy that grants wishes, and it made me hungry for supper.
TLDR; Super annoying kids, story was really dull for being about a sand fairy that grants wishes, and it made me hungry for supper.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The republication of this children's classic has been a little like delving into a past guilty pleasure. By rereading one of my favourite childhood classics, I have been able to indulge in my childhood memories.
This book has an obvious moral to it, reminding children that they should be careful what they wish for as they just might get what they have asked for. The young characters in the book are rather flippant with their wishes which end up getting them in a whole heap of trouble, as every wish goes horribly wrong.
The children don't seem to have any control over what they wish for and it was funny and exhausting at the same time to watch them suffer the consequences of their silly wishes.
I found I honestly couldn't read any of the Psammead dialogue without hearing Eddie Izzard's voice in my head. Since watching the film with my children, I just have Eddie down as the sand fairy and nothing will change that. Saying that, I do so love the Psammead, he really is my favourite character of the book.
Reading this book as a adult, I do notice more things than perhaps I would have been aware of as a child.
The writing is very descriptive and the story moves a long at an easy pace, a bit like a leisurely stroll down the river. With a lot of modern children's books, they tend to move at a faster pace and reading this book made me nostalgic for the times when everything just appeared to go slower.
What I found fascinating and extremely noticable, was how the children within the book were able to use their imaginations to have fun, an activity often sorely missed now among children.
The language appears quite archaic in today's modern society but Vintage have provided a very useful glossary to help you understand the unfamiliar terms. I really enjoyed all the extra material provided by the publisher at the back of the book which made me feel like I had a closer insight into the workings of the author.
It was such a joy to step back in time and it made me long for my books of yesteryear. It also made me want to read the two other books in the series. This really was an entertaining, lighthearted read, written by one of the pioneers of children's fantasy books.
This book has an obvious moral to it, reminding children that they should be careful what they wish for as they just might get what they have asked for. The young characters in the book are rather flippant with their wishes which end up getting them in a whole heap of trouble, as every wish goes horribly wrong.
The children don't seem to have any control over what they wish for and it was funny and exhausting at the same time to watch them suffer the consequences of their silly wishes.
I found I honestly couldn't read any of the Psammead dialogue without hearing Eddie Izzard's voice in my head. Since watching the film with my children, I just have Eddie down as the sand fairy and nothing will change that. Saying that, I do so love the Psammead, he really is my favourite character of the book.
Reading this book as a adult, I do notice more things than perhaps I would have been aware of as a child.
The writing is very descriptive and the story moves a long at an easy pace, a bit like a leisurely stroll down the river. With a lot of modern children's books, they tend to move at a faster pace and reading this book made me nostalgic for the times when everything just appeared to go slower.
What I found fascinating and extremely noticable, was how the children within the book were able to use their imaginations to have fun, an activity often sorely missed now among children.
The language appears quite archaic in today's modern society but Vintage have provided a very useful glossary to help you understand the unfamiliar terms. I really enjoyed all the extra material provided by the publisher at the back of the book which made me feel like I had a closer insight into the workings of the author.
It was such a joy to step back in time and it made me long for my books of yesteryear. It also made me want to read the two other books in the series. This really was an entertaining, lighthearted read, written by one of the pioneers of children's fantasy books.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I never got to this one as a kid but I think I would have liked it, particularly if someone had read it to me as well as Ward does on the Blackstone Audio version.
It's little of an overall plot and more like a series of adventures (wishes) going wrong. All end well, but the entanglements are generally surprising and not entirely predictable.
What stood out the most to me were the constant references to food. These are some hungry kids. Pretty much every page seems to have them complaining about being hungry or searching for (stealing...) food. It's an interesting feature in a book from the early 1900s.
Good old-fashioned fun for folks who like a little magic in their stories.
It's little of an overall plot and more like a series of adventures (wishes) going wrong. All end well, but the entanglements are generally surprising and not entirely predictable.
What stood out the most to me were the constant references to food. These are some hungry kids. Pretty much every page seems to have them complaining about being hungry or searching for (stealing...) food. It's an interesting feature in a book from the early 1900s.
Good old-fashioned fun for folks who like a little magic in their stories.
An adventurous children’s book with a fun story and some good underlying messages about morals.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated