Five Children and It

E. Nesbit’s classic fantasy adventure story of a group of siblings who encounter a wish-granting fairy isnow available in an unabridged, paperback volume in Union Square and Co.’s Signature Editions series.

While spending their summer holiday in the countryside, siblings Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother discover an ancient sand-fairy called a Psammead in a gravel pit. The children are delighted to learn that the Psammead will grant them one wish per day, but there’s a catch—each wish only lasts until sunset, and often comes with unexpected consequences. As their lives are continuously turned upside-down in comical ways, the children learn that getting exactly what you wish for is not always what it’s cracked up to be.

Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) was a British writer celebrated for her children’s stories, including The Railway Children, Five Children and It, and The Story of the Amulet. Nesbit was also a prolific author of adult fiction and poetry.