Five Children and It (1902) is a children’s fantasy novel by English writer Edith Nesbit. The first book in Nesbit’s beloved Psammead trilogy—which also includes The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) and The Story of the Amulet (1906)—Five Children and It is a story of childish wonder, adventure, and the power of imagination.

Five siblings move with their parents from London to the English countryside, where they adjust to the rhythms of rural life and spend their days playing and exploring outside. One day, while playing in a local gravel pit, they discover a strange creature with the eyes of a snail, the ears of a bat, a spider-shaped body, and the limbs of a monkey. Known as a Psammead, the being is a sand fairy who grants the children one wish per day—while warning them that whatever they wish for will turn to stone when the sun sets. The children’s fear quickly turns to wonder, and they begin to wish for increasingly ambitious things: a pile of gold coins; the power of flight; superhuman size; a castle. With each wish comes a commensurate adventure, forcing the children to escape more and more dangerous situations. As it grants the children wish after wish, the initially cynical Psammead grows to appreciate their vibrant imaginations and seemingly unquenchable passion for adventure. Five Children and It is masterpiece of fantasy from Edith Nesbit, one of the twentieth century’s leading authors of children’s fiction.

This edition of Edith Nesbit’s Five Children and It is a classic of English children’s literature reimagined for modern readers.

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With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.