Five Children & It by E. Nesbit

  

                                                             TO JOHN BLAND

                                                My Lamb, you are so very small,
                                             You have not learned to read at all.
                                            Yet never a printed book withstands
                                            The urgence of your dimpled hands.
                                             So, though this book is for yourself,
                                                Let mother keep it on the shelf
                                              Till you can read. O days that Pass,
                                              That day will come too soon, alas!*

And with this sweet dedication, Edith Nesbit begins her tale about five children and a Psammead (little wonder she refers to the creature as "it" in the title).  What is a Psammead, you might ask?  A Psammead is a Sand Fairy - a creature quite rare nowadays.

The five children are Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb.  The four older children are the main protagonists, while the Lamb, their two year old brother, is a minor player in most of the adventures.  Another recurring character is Martha, a servant who takes care of the house and the Lamb.  The children's parents do not feature prominently in the story.

The children meet the Psammead (or Sammyadd, as they call him) on holiday in the country.  They are digging in the gravel pit - trying to reach Australia - when they unearth this strange, little creature.  The Psammead is not your typical fairy - sweet and with wings and a magic wand.  He is a small, furry creature, with "snail-like eyes."  He lives buried in the sand away from water, because water kills sand fairies.  As he tells the children, a long time ago people used to build sand castles for Sand Fairies.  The Psammeads enjoyed these delightful homes - until people began digging moats to go with the castles.

Just like beautiful fairies, the Psammead can grant wishes.  But his method is quite unorthodox.  He inflates himself and then lets out his breath.  Granting a wish exhausts the fairy and aggravates his already sullen nature.  The girls, though, treat him kindly.  In one touching scene, Anthea offers to let him sit in her lap to keep warm.  He does.  It's sweet, but I can't help but shudder at the thought of a warm, little, furry creature with "snail-like eyes" sitting in my lap.

The Psammead grants the children nine wishes over the course of the book.  Each wish turns into a misadventure as best and danger at worst.  But is it the children's naivety or the Psammead's sullen nature that causes the trouble?

I am a fan of E. Nesbit's books for children.  Her style is child-like.  She pictures things as children do and includes only the details that would appeal to children.  Her humor it witty and her tales imaginative.  She is very honest about the motives that drive us to do and act as we do.  I think it is this honesty that I particularly find real in her style of writing.

Her characters differ very little from story to story.  Anthea is quite like Bobby, from "The Railway Children", and Jane is just like Dora from "The Treasure Seekers."  The personalities alter little, but they are such fun to begin with that it makes little difference to me.  The pure, innocent fun is refreshing; the stories original; the setting always a delight.

I wish I had a first edition of this story - the cover is gorgeous.  But as the likelihood of finding a first edition of an E. Nesbit book is rare or way beyond the reach of my pocketbook, I found a very modern nice edition.  It is from the "Looking Glass Library", published by Random House.  It features the original illustrations by H.R. Millar.  Some may find the pictures outdated, but I love the Victorian artwork.

There are film adaptions of this story.  I haven't seen the 1991 BBC miniseries, but I did watch the 2004 version starring Freddie Highmore and Kenneth Branagh (in a very "un-Shakespearean" role).  The story is based during WWI, and tells the story of five children sent to the country because of the war.  Their father (Alex Jennings), is a pilot serving his country overseas.  The story has more of a feel of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," with Freddie Highmore's character a bit like Edmund Pevensie, as interpreted in the 2005 a film adaption of the C.S. Lewis classic.  However, the screenplay writers borrowed from Lewis; Lewis did not borrow from Nesbit.  I enjoyed this version, though it is nothing at all like the book, so I would not recommend it as a substitute to reading the original story.  I would like to see another adaption - one that tells E. Nesbit's story.

Five Children and It is the first in a trilogy.  The following works are The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet.  Before I finished the book, I had logged onto the library's website and requested the sequel.  This may show you how much I enjoyed the story!  It's a tale for all ages, but whether all ages will enjoy it, I don't know.  If you enjoy the adventures, magic, and cleverness of "Peter Pan", "Winnie the Pooh", or any other E. Nesbit tale, you will not be disappointed in this choice.  After reading the story you may find yourself wondering If I were to unearth a Psammead, what would I wish for?

*Five Children and It.  Nesbit, E.  1902.

The Railway Children by E. Nesbit

     Bobbie (Roberta), Phyllis, and Peter have an idyllic home situation: a comfortable house, servants, and loving parents.  In one terrible evening everything changes.  Several men arrive at their London home, and soon the children learn that their father has had to leave home quite quickly on business.  Their mother spends much time away from home, seeing many people, and returning to her children weary and discouraged.  The servants whisper, but Mother does not tell Bobbie, Phyllis, or Peter where Father is.  They try to be understanding and be a support to her.    
     A second great change occurs when Mother announces that they must move from the city and take a home in the country.  They arrive by train late one evening in a small country English village.  From there they walk to their new home, "Three Chimneys."  The children love their new life in the country, even though the mystery surrounding their father hangs over their heads.
     Bobbie is a sweet, understanding older sister.  She is perceptive and tries to lessen Mother's burden.  Peter does his best to be the man of the house.  This duty drives him to commit a felony - but all comes out alright in the end.  Phyllis, like Bobbie, is sweet, but she is not quite as clever or quick as her siblings.  Her literal interpretation of phrases and pictures is humorous and adds lightness and comedy to the children's adventures.
     A train, the 9:15, passes through the village and the land adjoining their house.  They decide to wave to the train each morning, imagining that it will take their love to Father.  They create an unique friendship with one of the wealthy passengers.  They refer to him as the Old Gentleman.  He always waves back, and several times he plays an important role in their adventures and the outcome of their story.
     Bobbie, Phyllis, and Peter also make friends with Mr. Perks, who works at the train station, and decide to help him celebrate his birthday, which has almost disastrous results.  The other adventures of the Railway Children include a houseboat fire, an encounter with danger, a poor refugee, and a paper chase.
     The Railway Children may not take place in an exotic locale, but its magic is in its simplicity of life and characters.  It does not have a strong plot line; its enjoyment is in the little stories and subplots that fill their lives at the "Three Chimneys."  The people the children help and the people who help them, the loyalty and love of the family, and bravery and courage reside in this little story.  I hope you will join Bobbie, Phyllis, and Peter at the "Three Chimneys," wave to the 9:15, and remember the simple joys and hopes of childhood.

     If you're like me, you love great stories but cannot always find the time to sit down with the physical copy of the book. Whether I'm doing chores around the house or driving to school, I love having a good audiobook to listen to. I highly recommend this excellent recording of Edith Nesbit's classic children's story by Tantor.  It is performed by Renee Raudman. 

 

"The Story of the Treasure Seekers" by E. Nesbit

"The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune."

      This is a charming story about six siblings: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice and Noel (twins), and Horace Octavius - better known as H.O.  Their mother died, and the children are basically left to raise themselves.  They have a loving father, but he is usually preoccupied with business, leaving the children to have unusual and memorable adventures.  The story is told by one of the children, but never stated by which one until the very end of the story. 
     When Mr. Bastable loses his money, Oswald, the leader among the children, decides that it is up to the young Bastables to recover the family fortune.  This noble mission instigates most of the misadventures.  How often their good intentions are bitterly reversed! 
     Their quest leads them to dig for treasure with the aid of Albert-next-door and Albert-next-door's uncle; they pretend at being detectives; they try to sell Noel's poems (such classics as "Lines on a Dead Beetle That Was Poisoned"); they try their hand at editing a newspaper; they meet a real princess; and they have a memorable run-in with Lord Tottenham.
     Written in 1899, "The Story of the Treasure Seekers" is a wonderful example of the genius of British writers.  C.S. Lewis even mentions it in one of his Chronicles of Narnia books, The Magician's Nephew: 
     "In those days Mr. Sherlock Holmes was still living in Baker Street and the Bastables were looking for treasure in the Lewisham Road."*
     Full of imagination and British humor, E.Nesbit's book is a merry romp in Victorian England through the eyes of six imaginative children.




*Lewis, C.S. Chapter One. The Magician's Nephew. The Chronicles of Narnia. New York City. HarperCollins Children's Books, 1994. pg 1.