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themooseshark 's review for:
Five Children and It
by E. Nesbit
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4/5 stars
Another book that I started a few years ago and never finished, mostly because my physical copy was in storage and my hold on the audiobook ran out. I had like 30 minutes left of the audiobook too, so it’s silly that I didn’t try to check it out again when I read it the first time. Anyway, despite remembering this book pretty vividly from my first attempt to read it, I started fresh, again listening to it on audiobook.
After moving to the countryside of Kent, five children, Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the baby (also referred to as “the Lamb”), unearth an ancient sand fairy called a Psammead. The Psammead has the power to grant the children one wish per day. Of course, each wish has unfortunate consequences, and the children have to figure their way out of those consequences. There’s not really an overarching plot; rather, it’s a series of short adventures that the children experience, each adventure occurring after they make a wish for the day.
I loved the Psammead. The description of him was nightmarish, he was such a grump, and a little freak of a creature. Truly an excellent Little Guy(tm). However, when I looked him up to find illustrations of him, I discovered there was a movie adaptation staring Freddie Highmore released in 2004. The Psammead in that movie is NOT an excellent Little Guy. He is a monstrosity. The lovechild of a dragon and the mucinex monsters. If I ever see that thing again, it will be too soon.
Back on track. Several of the children's wishes had quite comical results, such as when Robert wishes he were bigger and suddenly grows to eleven feet tall, resulting in the other children showing him off at a traveling circus for money. Another one that tickled me was when the children wish that the Lamb would grow up faster, resulting in him becoming a grown, pompous young man that wants nothing to do with them. I think my favorite story, or at least the story that stood out to me the most, is the one where the children wish for wings to fly. The results of that one weren’t as comical as the two aforementioned, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of that story and the way the children tried to solve their problems.
Published in 1902, this little children’s book is not without racism. It was made all the worse by the accents the narrator (Anna Bentinck; the audiobook my library had was released in 2005) chose to portray the Romani and Native American characters. The anti-Romani rhetoric was not as bad as I expected, but that’s really not saying much. They are, of course, referred to exclusively by what is now considered a slur. The encounter with the Romani camp ends with a surprisingly sympathetic tone and sympathetic perspective from the children, after one of the Romani women says, “Us gypsies* don’t steal babies, whatever they may tell you when you’re naughty. We’ve enough of our own, mostly.” So, like, not great, but not as bad as I would’ve expected, especially for the time period it was published. Still, what the fuck was the narrator doing with those accents.
The story about the “Red Indians” was especially heinous. Nesbit may have tried to humanize the Romani characters a bit, but she did nothing of the sort for the Native American characters. And, again, the audiobook only exacerbated that. There was a…let’s say, interesting music choice preceding this story, and holy fuck, the narrator’s accents choices were offensive. Some racist highlights from this story include: 1) calling the first Native American man they encounter “it,” 2) describing them all as “red” Indians having “dark, cruel faces,” and 3) the most heinous of all, when the children beg not to be scalped and roasted, one of the Native American characters says that scalping and roasting is “always done.” I know the racism is not surprising given when the book was published and that Nesbit was English, but man. This story in particular was appalling.
Rating a book from another time can be difficult when the racist perspectives of the era leave a bad taste in the mouth. I don’t want to discount the racism, but I also must acknowledge that this book was published over a century ago (that doesn’t excuse the narrator for the audiobook though – 2005 was not long enough ago to be using those racist ass voices). Things, thankfully, have changed since then.
The majority of these stories are silly and sweet, following children facing the consequences of their actions. I understand why this book is a beloved classic in England; there’s so much charm to the majority of the stories. The background characters, especially Martha, elevate the stories and keep the children from seeming removed from the world of adults. Their consequences don’t come just from the use of magic; they’re also impacted by the assumptions adults make. It’s a very quick read, though I would suggest seeking a more recently published audiobook than the one my library had available, if you intend to listen to it. The physical book does have some illustrations that I missed out on by listening to it rather than reading it.
Overall, an enjoyable, charming, and comical series of adventures, but two self-contained stories are tainted by racism.
*I apologize for including a slur in this review, but I prefer not to censor direct quotes in writing.
Another book that I started a few years ago and never finished, mostly because my physical copy was in storage and my hold on the audiobook ran out. I had like 30 minutes left of the audiobook too, so it’s silly that I didn’t try to check it out again when I read it the first time. Anyway, despite remembering this book pretty vividly from my first attempt to read it, I started fresh, again listening to it on audiobook.
After moving to the countryside of Kent, five children, Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the baby (also referred to as “the Lamb”), unearth an ancient sand fairy called a Psammead. The Psammead has the power to grant the children one wish per day. Of course, each wish has unfortunate consequences, and the children have to figure their way out of those consequences. There’s not really an overarching plot; rather, it’s a series of short adventures that the children experience, each adventure occurring after they make a wish for the day.
I loved the Psammead. The description of him was nightmarish, he was such a grump, and a little freak of a creature. Truly an excellent Little Guy(tm). However, when I looked him up to find illustrations of him, I discovered there was a movie adaptation staring Freddie Highmore released in 2004. The Psammead in that movie is NOT an excellent Little Guy. He is a monstrosity. The lovechild of a dragon and the mucinex monsters. If I ever see that thing again, it will be too soon.
Back on track. Several of the children's wishes had quite comical results, such as when Robert wishes he were bigger and suddenly grows to eleven feet tall, resulting in the other children showing him off at a traveling circus for money. Another one that tickled me was when the children wish that the Lamb would grow up faster, resulting in him becoming a grown, pompous young man that wants nothing to do with them. I think my favorite story, or at least the story that stood out to me the most, is the one where the children wish for wings to fly. The results of that one weren’t as comical as the two aforementioned, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of that story and the way the children tried to solve their problems.
Published in 1902, this little children’s book is not without racism. It was made all the worse by the accents the narrator (Anna Bentinck; the audiobook my library had was released in 2005) chose to portray the Romani and Native American characters. The anti-Romani rhetoric was not as bad as I expected, but that’s really not saying much. They are, of course, referred to exclusively by what is now considered a slur. The encounter with the Romani camp ends with a surprisingly sympathetic tone and sympathetic perspective from the children, after one of the Romani women says, “Us gypsies* don’t steal babies, whatever they may tell you when you’re naughty. We’ve enough of our own, mostly.” So, like, not great, but not as bad as I would’ve expected, especially for the time period it was published. Still, what the fuck was the narrator doing with those accents.
The story about the “Red Indians” was especially heinous. Nesbit may have tried to humanize the Romani characters a bit, but she did nothing of the sort for the Native American characters. And, again, the audiobook only exacerbated that. There was a…let’s say, interesting music choice preceding this story, and holy fuck, the narrator’s accents choices were offensive. Some racist highlights from this story include: 1) calling the first Native American man they encounter “it,” 2) describing them all as “red” Indians having “dark, cruel faces,” and 3) the most heinous of all, when the children beg not to be scalped and roasted, one of the Native American characters says that scalping and roasting is “always done.” I know the racism is not surprising given when the book was published and that Nesbit was English, but man. This story in particular was appalling.
Rating a book from another time can be difficult when the racist perspectives of the era leave a bad taste in the mouth. I don’t want to discount the racism, but I also must acknowledge that this book was published over a century ago (that doesn’t excuse the narrator for the audiobook though – 2005 was not long enough ago to be using those racist ass voices). Things, thankfully, have changed since then.
The majority of these stories are silly and sweet, following children facing the consequences of their actions. I understand why this book is a beloved classic in England; there’s so much charm to the majority of the stories. The background characters, especially Martha, elevate the stories and keep the children from seeming removed from the world of adults. Their consequences don’t come just from the use of magic; they’re also impacted by the assumptions adults make. It’s a very quick read, though I would suggest seeking a more recently published audiobook than the one my library had available, if you intend to listen to it. The physical book does have some illustrations that I missed out on by listening to it rather than reading it.
Overall, an enjoyable, charming, and comical series of adventures, but two self-contained stories are tainted by racism.
*I apologize for including a slur in this review, but I prefer not to censor direct quotes in writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
Moderate: Xenophobia