Five Children and It

By: E. Nesbit

Narrated by: Virginia Leishman

Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's Summary

On a summer holiday in the countryside of England, five children suddenly find themselves without the supervision of their parents. Left alone with the housekeeper, the children anticipate a dull vacation. However, they soon find more adventure than they can handle. The first day after their parents leave, the children head for a gravel pit to pretend that they are at the beach. While digging in the sand they find a Psammead, or a sand fairy. The grumpy genie promises to grant the children one wish a day that will last until sunset. But as often happens with wishes, none turn out quite the way the children expect. They are led through a series of hilarious adventures by the Psammead as they learn to appreciate what they already have.

Edith Nesbit was one of the first authors to write children’s books that captured what it was like to be young. Her humorous stories are sure to entertain as they gently teach children about the things in life that are truly valuable.

Public Domain (P)2000 Recorded Books

great story for everyone!

they just don't write stories like this any more. Kids love it! ! magical yet so real....feels like you are being told a story not read one.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Beautiful narration

Not my favorite book by Nesbit, but good overall and wonderful narration! I recommend her!

Hard to follow & stay interested

I loved E Nesbit's Railway Children, read by the same narrator. It was a sweet, old-fashioned story, great for relaxing at bedtime. However, this story I found very hard to follow. Much of it didn't make sense, and in my opinion was poorly written. This fantasy just doesn't compare to fantasy stories of today.
I literally could not pay attention for more than a couple minutes at a time. I kept rewinding to re-listen to sections I already heard. More than halfway thru the book I could not even remember the names of all the children. I couldn't tell you what the story is really about or give much of a summary. I couldn't understand some of the words, because it is read with a strong British accent, thete is British wording we don't use in the U.S., and there were made-up words. Although I did not have any difficulty with the other book by this author and narrator. The narrator actually did a great job here, especially with the dialog and using a variety of voices. I would say that is the only good thing about this book. At chapter 8, I am finally giving up and marking it as finished. I will not buy another E Nesbit story.

oldie but goodie

first heard this recording on cassette tapes as it played for my now adult children on a long car trip. While occasionally the gender characterizations are a bit dated, the story is as entertaining and charming as ever.

So clever

Very cute. Parents will enjoy as well as kids! Clever story, language, and lesson. Enjoy!