&quot;Five Children and It&quot; (first book in the <i>Psammead Trilogy</i>) is a classic of children&#39;s literature written by Edith Nesbit in 1902.&nbsp;<br />Edith Nesbit was inspired by her own five children to write this enchanting novel skillfully told, and its warm and funny portrayal of a magical childhood has ensured its presence in print ever since.<br /><br />Four children -- Robert, Anthea, Jane, and Cyril (the fifth is their infant brother known as Lamb) -- are playing at a sand pit when they stumble on a Psammead: an ancient sand fairy that will grant a wish a day, which lasts only as long as the sun is visible. Over the succeeding days, the kids learn how many ways that wishes can backfire on them -- they wish for money they can&#39;t get anyone to accept, beauty that makes them unrecognizable to their family and servants, wings that leave them stranded on a rooftop, a castle under very real siege by a knightly army -- and how to choose well and avoid having to lie.&nbsp;