Five Children and It · Chapter
Bigger Than the Baker’s Boy explained
The children attempt to play bandits but are humiliated by the baker's boy, who kicks Robert.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Wish Fulfillment and Its Consequences
Robert's wish to be bigger than the baker's boy is granted, but it leads to comic and inconvenient results, highlighting the unintended outcomes of impulsive wishes.
Childhood vs. Adulthood
The children's desire for power and size contrasts with their childish behavior, and Robert's giant form symbolizes the awkwardness of growing up.
Characters to notice
- Cyril
Proposes playing bandits to spark a useful wish; later helps plan taking Robert to the fair.
- Robert
Wishes to be bigger than the baker's boy after being kicked; becomes a giant and exacts revenge.
- Anthea
Mediates conflicts and suggests Robert have a double share of fair earnings.
- Jane
Suggests exhibiting Robert at the fair to make money.
- The Psammead
Grants Robert's wish to be bigger than the baker's boy, then refuses to reverse it.
- The Lamb
Sneezes and is kept indoors due to a cold; not part of the fair plan.
Key passages
“I only wish I was bigger than him, that's all.”
Robert wishes aloud to be larger than the baker's boy.
This wish triggers the Psammead's intervention and the chapter's central event.
“Let's take Robert to the Fair, and get them to give us money for showing him! Then we really shall get something out of the old Sammyadd at last!”
Jane proposes exhibiting Robert as a giant at the fair to earn money.
This idea turns Robert's size into a potential profit, reflecting the children's ongoing attempt to benefit from the wishes.