Five Children and It · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Five Children and It by E. Nesbit.
Chapter 1
Dedication
A poetic dedication to a young child named John Bland, affectionately called 'My Lamb,' acknowledging his current inability to read while expressing a bittersweet anticipation of the day he will grow up and read the book himself.
Chapter 2
Five Children and It
The five children—Robert, Cyril, Anthea, Jane, and the Lamb—move to a new house in the countryside and discover a sand-fairy, the Psammead, who grants them one wish per day that lasts until sunset. Their first wish to be beautiful leads to comedic and troublesome consequences.
Chapter 3
Beautiful as the Day
The five children—Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb—move to the White House in the countryside, where they discover a sand-fairy called a Psammead in a gravel-pit. The Psammead grants them one wish per day, and their first wish is to be 'as beautiful as the day,' which comes true, leading to unexpected consequences when they encounter other children and must hide until sunset to avoid being seen.
Chapter 4
Golden Guineas
The children attempt to spend their fairy gold, only to discover that shopkeepers refuse to accept it as currency. They hire a pony-cart to Rochester, but their efforts to buy goods are repeatedly rebuffed. The chapter explores the gap between wealth and its practical use, as the children struggle with the limitations of their magical fortune.
Chapter 5
III: Being Wanted
The children reflect on their disappointing wishes for beauty and wealth, then deal with a chaotic breakfast involving the Lamb and goldfish. Afterward, they discuss the Psammead and decide to wish the Lamb away, but the wish goes wrong when gipsies take the Lamb. At sunset, the wish reverses, the gipsies lose interest, and the children realize they truly want the Lamb. They bring him home safely, learning a moral about appreciating family.
Chapter 6
Wings
The children enjoy a day of gift-giving from Uncle Richard, then Anthea wakes early to consult the Psammead alone. She learns about the dangers of wishing for wings but decides to try anyway. The children wish for wings and fly over the countryside, stopping to eat plums from an orchard, where they pay the frightened farmer. They experience the joy and peril of flight.
Chapter 7
No Wings
The children, stranded on the church tower after their wish for wings, are discovered by the Vicar and a gamekeeper. They confess to stealing food and a soda-water syphon from the Vicarage larder, but are forgiven after explaining their hunger and apologizing. They are driven home, where Martha punishes them by keeping them indoors the next day.
Chapter 8
VI: A Castle and No Dinner
The children are kept indoors as punishment for the previous day's mishaps, but Robert is allowed out briefly to make the day's wish. He finds the Psammead and inadvertently wishes that the others could wish without being present. The Psammead grants this, and by the time Robert returns, the others have wished for a castle. The house is replaced by a magnificent besieged castle, complete with tents and armored men. The children explore the castle but find no food, and when dinner is served, they can see the servants moving invisibly but cannot see or eat the food, leading to despair.
Chapter 9
VII: A Siege and Bed
The children, now in a besieged castle, prepare for an attack by gathering stones and daggers as weapons. They provision themselves with biscuits and later discover they can eat invisible food by pretending to bite it. Robert takes charge as captain, and they face a real siege led by Sir Wulfric de Talbot. Jakin infiltrates the castle and lowers the drawbridge, forcing the children to defend themselves.
Chapter 10
Bigger Than the Baker’s Boy
The children attempt to play bandits but are humiliated by the baker's boy, who kicks Robert. In anger, Robert wishes to be bigger than the baker's boy, and the Psammead grants his wish, making him a giant. Robert gets revenge by lifting the boy onto a haystack. The others then decide to take Robert to the fair to exhibit him as a giant and earn money.
Chapter 11
Grown Up
Cyril wakes early and negotiates with the Psammead to allow wishes to be granted instantly wherever the children happen to be. Later, while the children are in the woods, the Lamb breaks Cyril's borrowed watch, prompting Cyril to impulsively wish the Lamb would grow up. The wish is granted, and the Lamb transforms into a young man in flannels and a straw hat. The children struggle to manage the grown-up Lamb, who insists on going to town alone. They eventually trick him into returning home by pretending to have a broken bicycle. At sunset, the Lamb reverts to his baby self, and the children resolve to raise him properly.
Chapter 12
X: Scalps
Cyril's idle wish for Red Indians comes true, leading to a tense day as the children fear an attack. Anthea cleverly sends Martha and the Lamb away for safety. The Indians capture the children but only scalp their false hairpieces, and the wish is undone when the Indian chief wishes to return to his native land.
Chapter 13
XI: The Last Wish
On the final day they can make wishes, the children learn their mother is returning home and decide to wish for something to please her. Jane inadvertently wishes that the stolen jewels of Lady Chittenden appear in their mother's room, causing panic. The children cannot find the Psammead to undo the wish, but when their mother arrives, she discovers a beautiful ring. Later, the children find the Psammead and wish for it to have a long sleep and to see it again someday. The wish is granted, and it is revealed that Lady Chittenden's diamonds were never stolen, resolving the crisis.
