Five Children and It

E. Nesbit, 1902

Children's classics

Five siblings find that getting a wish is much less straightforward than deciding what they want.

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Length: 11 chapters
Reading time: About 3 hr 40 min
Words: 52,415

About the book

A move from London to a house in the country gives the children a territory to explore, including a gravel pit. There they encounter a creature whose ability to grant wishes adds a new complication to their energetic plans.

Nesbit keeps magical possibilities close to ordinary problems such as meals, explanations and getting home. The episodic adventures allow each attractive idea to be tested in practice, while the narrator understands both the children's impatience and the awkward consequences they have failed to imagine.

On these lists

Children's classics

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. E. Nesbit died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK. Includes the original dedication.