Five Children and It & Two Magical Sequels
Edith Nesbit's Magical Fantasies Predate and Outshine Harry Potter
Sep 5, 2009
The recent Harry Potter craze has brought about many copycat series, as well as multitudes of other "magical" fantasy adventure books for children and teens, but exciting, amusing, frightening and incredibly clever, E. Nesbit's books have captivated children and even adults for years.
Edith Nesbit, known as "the first modern writer for children", published a multitude of novels, including The Bastable novels (The Treasure Seekers, The WouldbeGoods, New Treasure Seekers), several books of short stories and magical novels (The Book of Dragons, The House of Arden, The Enchanted Castle, etc.), as well as her magical series based around five siblings, (Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Amulet). Her influence can be seen in much fantasy fiction today, including that of C.S. Lewis.
Several of Nesbit's books have also been made into films, including Five Children and It, The Treasure Seekers, The Railway Children, The Phoenix in the Carpet and It Returns (an adaptaion of The Amulet) .
Five Children and It
Robert, Cyril, Anthea, Jane and The Lamb (their baby brother) have moved from London to the countryside of Kent. Exploring the gravel pits around their new home, the children inadvertently unearth a Psammead, also known as a sand fairy.
Granted a wish each day, the children embark on a series of adventures, or misadventures brought on by magic's twisted interpretation of their own desires.
Beauty, riches, love, flight, epic battles, strength and more are granted to the well-meaning children, each lasting till sundown and resulting in surprisingly unpredictable chaos.
The Phoenix and the Carpet
The children have returned to their London home, their adventures with the Psammead over, and are feeling a bit let down by everyday life. However, the children soon find that they are "the kind of people who magical things happen to".
After a mishap involving some fireworks, the childrens' mother sees fit to replace their charred nursery carpet. When the new carpet arrives, a golden egg hidden inside, the adventures begin.
Hilarity and excitement follow these adventurous children on their many travels, along with the pious and self-involved Phoenix.
The Amulet
When the children find themselves alone in the house, their parents and baby brother, out of reach, they are at their lowest. But never fear, the Psammead returns! This time, found in a seedy petshop in Kent, the children come to his rescue and are repayed with half a magical amulet and the incredible adventures that go with it.
Once again, the children visit far away places, and even time travel, in search of the Amulet's matching half, which will give them the power to achieve their heart's desire- their mother's return.
Magic Without Malice
Though they possess every bit of the magical attraction of Harry Potter, Nesbit's books are refreshingly light-hearted and lacking the mean-spiritedness found in many of today's magical novels.
Nesbit's characters have a realness about them, that is seldom encountered in children's fiction. Kind, yet undeniably human, the children fight and make up, play mischeivous pranks and inadvertantly wreak havoc on townspeople, and in the end, try to do what is right, though their results often have the opposite effect.
The magic in Nesbit's books is fun and exciting, but never cruel.
If you enjoyed Harry Potter, or if even if you didn't, give this magical series a try. You will undoubtedly find yourself wishing to be a part of this clever and loveable group of siblings as they embark on magical adventures and endure the backlashes they inevitably bring.
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