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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Here let me make a confession, I had never really loved a doll. My affections up to that time had been lavished on a black and white spotted penny rabbit, bought at a Kentish fair; but when I saw Rénee, it seemed to me that if I could love a doll, this would be the one. ... Read more

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The grass was gray with the moonlit dewThe stones where white as I came through. (Excerpt) ... Read more

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When the children dug a hole in the gravel-pit, they were very surprised at what they found. 'It' was a Psammead, a sand-fairy, thousands of years old. It was a strange little thing - fat and furry, and with eyes on long stalks. It was often very cross and unfriendly, but it could give wishes - one wish a day. 'How wonderful!' the children said. But wishes are difficult things. They can get you into trouble ... ... Read more

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Royal Children of English History by Edith Nesbit

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A Puffin classic, this publication ties in with the televizing of a film based on the text. Nesbit's other titles include "The Enchanted Castle", "The House of Arden", "New Treasure Seekers", "The Railway Children" and "The Story of the Amulet". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (29)

Marxist indoctrination for your 4th grader!
The genius of Kipling, of A. A. Milne, of Ian Fleming and of Enid Blyton is their ability to transcend age, to write in a way that, no matter the age of the reader, there is always something new to appreciate on re-reading.Sadly, Ms Nesbit does not come up to this standard.As a child, I adored her fantasies.As an adolescent, I rediscovered them while reading them to my brother, ten years younger, and found different depths in them.When my own children came along, I wanted to share with them the joy I had found previously, but instead I came to the realization that Ms Nesbit's political views permeate every paragraph of her works, and that they are written with the specific intent to indoctrinate young, impressionable minds with her Marxist doctrine.

Whether dealing with the relationship between employer and employee, or the rôle of monarchy in ancient civilizations, Ms Nesbit is out to showcase the wicked exploitation of the poor downtrodden masses by the wicked ruling classes.

If you want your children to think for themselves, by all means have them read this book,But afterwards, for heaven's sake, talk about it with them, and make sure that they see clearly the outrageous fallacies of Marxism.

A Fan Of Magical Adventures
Five Children and It

While their mother is away, caring for their ailing grandmother, Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane find a sand fairy, called a Psamead.He hadn't been uncovered since the days of the dionsours, and had no idea about modern children, and their wishes.The sand fairy, the childern call `It', says he will grant the children's wishes. The already peculiar looking fairy, puffs himself up, before granting wishes.He reluctantly agrees to grant one wish, per day, for one week.

When wishes aren't planned out, they don't tend to go so well. With a wish for gold, a pile of gold appears, so large, it fills the sand pit. Although the children have pockets full of gold, they have to use their own pocket change, to make their purchases.

An off-handed wish for everyone to like their baby brother, who they call the Lamb, results in a near kidnapping of the baby.A wish for a castle comes with guards carrying swords.Other wishes include Indians, who want to scalp the children, and jewels that are really stolen property.Lucky, or not, all wishes disappear at sunset.

Five Children and It will both entertain you, and have you making your own wishes, that you are sure won't be revoked at sunset.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
children's author:
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)

Great children's book
This was a gift for my niece and she loved it!Great imagination and a wonderful book.

Excellent
The children unearth (literally) a Psammead (sand fairy) and it has to grant them wishes. However the wishes don't turn out quite the way the children wanted. I don't want to spoil it for you but you are sure to enjoy it.

Free SF Reader
A bunch of kids in England move from the big smoke to the country.After they get there, they discover a bizarre grumpy weird looking supernatural guy.

Due to various rigmarole, this discovery means that said oddity grants them a bunch of wishes.Being kids, they generally wish for kids adventure type stuff.




... Read more

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Filled with wit and humor, Nesbit's 1902 fantasy tells the adventure of 5 siblings sent to spend the summer with their uncle. One day, when the children wander from the strange house by the sea to play in old gravel pits, they uncover "It" - a prehistoric Sand-fairy. Psammead (pronounced Sammyadd) was an odd-looking creature with eyes on long horns which, like those of a snail, moved in and out like telescopes; ears like that of a bat; its tubby body shaped like a spider's, covered with thick soft fur; and at the base of its furry arms and legs were hands and feet resembling a monkey's. The unusual Sand-fairy grants the children one wish a day, each lasting until sunset. Though wishes can come true, they are not always as pleasant as they might seem, which the children soon discover. ... Read more

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The six Bastable children fill their free time with entertainment's that don't always turn out as they plan. But whether telling fortunes at a party, unwittingly assisting an elopement, reforming their nasty cousin Archibald, or even getting arrested, it is all good fun, and usually for a good cause.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Pretty Good
E. Nesbit wrote three books about the Bastables: The Story Of The Treasure Seekers, in which the six Bastable kids look for treasure to restore treir family's fallen fortunes, New Treasure Seekers, a beautiful collection of wonderful Bastable adventures, and the Wouldbegoods, in which the motley troop goes on vacation with their cousins, form the soceity of Wouldbegoods, (in which the motive is to do one good deed a day) and fail miserably. The first thing Noel does is climb the chimney and fetch down a few bricks, a bird nest and a couple tons of soot. Wouldbegoods is by far the best, but if tou want to read it free go to Google.com, type in New Treasure Seekers, click on first choice and you can red either New Treasure Seekers or Wouldbegoods at your leisure.

It was jolly ripping!
Oh, I am sooo in love with Oswald Bastable.I first read the Wouldbegoods when I was twelve, and since then, I've read all the books in the Bastable series.He's the greatest character I've ever encountered.Ah, so real! ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Children of the New Forest
I've read this one.It's by Captain Marryat http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1853261106/qid=1130814728/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3667137-5119336?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
A historical fiction of 4 wealthy children left poor orphans during the English civil war.Quality piece of literature, that is.There is also a video of the story.

A GREAT BOOK -- and a comment on the references
I find it odd that a book should be faulted because a reader doesn't understand all the references. For me as a child, puzzling out what phrases like "Let dogs delight" meant was fun -- even when I never did figure it out, or didn't figure it out until years later when I came upon the source. That was fun, too: to be reading something else or traveling in England and suddenly get the reference -- and think "So THAT's what she meant!"

But the references are a minor detail.

This was one of my favorite books as a child and I now think it is one of the greatest books ever written for children: funny, insightful, well-written, inspiring -- and unexpectedly moving in places, too. I still laugh out loud when I read it, and I still admire the children enormously: for their imaginations, resourcefulness, kindness to each other, loyalty, and, perhaps most of all, for their very English courage -- the way they deal with what drearier people would complain about.

Philosophically, I very much object to the idea that everything in a book should be easy to understand and known already to the readers. Surely one of the joys of reading is to be exposed to new ideas, people, places -- to learn?

Another great writer for children, PL Travers, the author of MARY POPPINS, writes about the enormous pleasure and stimulation she (as a child) derived from trying to puzzle out the meanings of phrases in adults' conversation, such as "she lived on her capital." (She phrases it better than I do here -- but she as a child imagined this aunt as a sort of ogress, nibbling on her own fingers and toes during an afternoon nap.)

It's probably true that E.Nesbit's writing is not for everyone-- but what is? I for one think it's great that children still love her -- and despite all the efforts that have been made to dumb their books and everything else down,that they still enjoy puzzling out (or simply accept and move on from) what they don't understand at a first glance.

Many authors -- Noel Streatfield and CS Lewis to name two more - have paid tribute to E.Nesbit. Noel Coward kept copies of her books by her bed. She still makes me laugh out loud, and very few authors from any era can do that.

Cultural Reference "Let dogs delight..."
Some of the cultural references in the book are obscure, but finding what they mean can be a lot of fun. Here is the context of "Let dogs delight..." It is from an old hymn to encourage children to get along with each other. Here is the text:

Song 16. Against quarrelling and fighting. (8,6,8,6)
Let dogs delight to bark and bite,
For God has made them so:
Let bears and lions growl and fight,
For `tis their nature, too.
But, children, you should never let
Such angry passions rise:
Your little hands were never made
To tear each other's eyes.
Let love through all your actions run,
And all your words be mild:
Live like the blessed Virgin's Son,
That sweet and lovely child.
His soul was gentle as a lamb;
And as his stature grew,
He grew in favour both with man,
And God his Father, too.
Now, Lord of all, he reigns above;
And from his heavenly throne
He sees what children dwell in love,
And marks them for his own.

Funny in an Original Way.
The Treasure Seekers is written from the point of view of a young British boy trying along with his siblings to recover "the lost treasures of the house of Bastable."

The book is crammed with hilarity.To begin with, the speaker says that he will not give away who he is- "While the story is going on you may be trying to guess, only I bet you don't."Throughout the book, he makes little digs about his siblings, and adds things like, "Oswald often thinks of very intersting things.And directly he thought of it he did not keep it to himself, as some boys would have, but he told the others."

His writing is very straightforward and honest (if biased), like a boy.And he does not try to be funny at all.Some ironies are obvious to the reader, making us chuckle while Oswald is very serious about them.

On the whole, Oswald is very likeable and understandable and creative, as are Dora, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and H.O.They get into scrapes with their good intentions, but the ending (in Oswald's words) "is like what happens in Dickens's books; but I think it was much jollier to happen like a book."

Classic amusing (very English) adventure
The Treasure Seekers

The six Bastable children are determined to restore their family fallen fortunes. They do not know exactly what it was that made their fortunes "fall" but it had something to do with mother dying, father being sick and his business partner running away. This depressing information is brought about casually and is merely the background for what is about to follow - a (very funny) treasure hunt practiced upon in different ways. Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and H.O. all have different plans to get to their goal, ranging from helping an elderly gentlemen in distress (absence of apparent distress is a small obstacle) to answering a newspaper ad promising 2 pounds a week earned in your spare time - and are about to systematically try out all of them.
The story is told by one of the Bastable children, one that does not wish to reveal his identity. It is a great wonder therefore that Oswald gets such a favorable description..."Oswald put lumps of coal on the fire with his fingers, so as not to make a noise. He is a very thoughtful boy, and he did not wipe his fingers on his trouser leg as perhaps Noel or H.O. would have done..."
This is a lesser-known story of Edith Nesbit but is the first book published by her and a real masterpiece. This book is just as lovely as her more famous "Railway Children" and like that story works on both the adult and the child level. The book is full of detailed descriptions of conversations, food (very British), grave decisions and pretend play. The Bastable children do not feel miserable unless reminded and the book is a great, very amusing read. The language (which can sometimes be quite difficult for the modern reader) is, as Oswald explains, sometimes taken out of books and especially the "Jungle Book" ("Good Hunting" they wish each other). Contrary to other reviewers, I enjoyed the "air of another time" even if I did not always understand all the expressions.
This is a story of children in another era, trying to entertain themselves when they cannot afford school and need to struggle alone without the presence and explanations of adults (their self made explanations to unclear expressions, such as "seven times removed from the queen" are hilarious). The story is very cosmopolite in the sense that these are really stories of human kindness and nobility in all its forms. This is something adults and children alike can share, each according to his perceptions. The story is so rich with a sense of a different time, adventure, humor and human sociology that anyone can find something to suit his heart.
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Customer Reviews (4)

Unexpected Favorite!
We received this CD as a gift for our 3 girls, ages 8, 6 and 3.We weren't sure if it was going to be something for us or if we should pass it on to some of their boy cousins, but the girls really enjoyed the stories!!We have all enjoyed listening to them, esp. on car rides!

Even better than when I read them as bed time stories
The tale of Lionel is one of my children's favorites, often requested for a bed time story. I love Tavia Gilbert's interpretation of the characters in the stories. She reads Edith Nesbit in the same humorously droll manner that I hear in my head, but can't quite capture myself. My 4 year old has requested this CD over and over again and as of the 6th listening (in 5 days), I'm still entertained by this retelling of these great tales.

Just right for boys!
My boys, ages seven and six, really love these stories.They like to listen to stories at night before falling asleep. These are exciting enough and yet the reading style isn't jarring... Allowing them to still fall asleep.

Good stories, very funny!
These stories are very funny and they're good for the whole family. The Book of Beasts is about a boy who becomes king and gets a whole library of books. Some of the books are magic and one of the books he opens lets out a dragon that terrorizes the kingdom. He tries all kinds of ways to get the dragon back into the book and has lots of funny adventures along the way.

The second story is about a blacksmith who works in an old castle and has a dragon living in the dungeon below the castle. The blacksmith has to use his wits to keep his family from becoming dragon food.

J.K. Rowling has said that Edith Nesbit is her favorite writer and I can see why. They both have a great mix of humor and adventure so if you love Harry Potter you should check this out.

The reader of this CD did a great job. I have a book with the stories but I love to hear the stories and they're even more funny when you listen to them.

The Book of Beasts (Hardcover) ... Read more