Five Children and It

Five Children and It is one of the best loved of all children’s fantasy stories, written by E. Nesbit and published in 1902. Staying in the country for the summer, five brothers and sisters dig in a gravel pit and unearth the Psammead, a grumpy, ancient sand-fairy with the power to grant one wish a day, though each wish lasts only until sunset. The children wish for beauty, for wealth, for wings, and for much else besides, and every time their heart’s desire goes comically and alarmingly wrong. Funny, clever, and warm, the book set the pattern for a whole tradition of magic breaking into ordinary family life. This free PDF and EPUB offers the complete story.