Five Children and It

Does the Psammead deliberately sabotage the children’s wishes, as Robert suspects in Chapter 3, or are the children’s wishes the problem? Support your response with details from the text.

Find a recent discussion of E. Nesbit in the media. What aspects of Five Children and It contribute to her continued legacy?

Mid-20th-century author Edward Eager was profoundly influenced by Nesbit’s works and mentioned them in each of his books. Compare the Natterjack in Eager’s The Time Garden to the Psammead. Where do you see Nesbit’s influences? Where and how does Eager innovate?