Five Children and It

by E. Nesbit

Published 1 January 1900
Five children find a cantankerous sand fairy in a gravel pit. Every day "It" will grant them a wish - which leads to disastrous and hilarious results. In the introduction, Sandra Kemp examines Nesbit's life and her reading, showing how she was poised between the Victorian world and a new era in which children in literature were no longer mere projections of the adult viewpoint. She also examines how the narrative is structured around the acting out of literary fantasies, which always come back down to earth. Nesbit combines implausible events with the prosaic and familiar, and Kemp illuminates her exploration of the shifting relationship between imagination, literature and life.

The Story of the Treasure-Seekers

by E. Nesbit

Published 3 December 1981
Mr Bastable has lost all his money, so his children decide to look for treasure. They have many adventures and meet a lot of exciting people, but will they find the treasure they need to make their family rich again? And who is the man from India and can he help them? "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals".
At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.