The Psammead Trilogy, written at the beginning of the twentieth century by Edith Nesbit, is a classic of all times that you shouldn’t miss. The story begins with Five Children and It, and continues with The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet. Read them all and meet this amazing storyteller who inspired other big fantasy writers such as C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling. By the end of the book, find after reading activities to keep on having a great time with the story and your imagination.
Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother, the Lamb, never thought that spending the summer in the countryside would be such an incredible experience. You don’t find a wish granting sand fairy every day, do you? That’s exactly what happens to these children during their holidays. Digging in a sand pit, they discover the Psammead, a grumpy magical creature who has the power to make their wishes come true. However, no matter how hard they try to think of the perfect wish, things never seem to turn out as they expected. A magical story, full of adventure and fun, that you’ll never forget.
The Phoenix and the Carpet
After an incredible summer in the countryside with the Psammead, Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother, the Lamb, thought that spending the winter in the city, all by themselves, would be a real bore. But they were wrong. The fun starts when the children find a mysterious egg inside a rolled carpet that their mum bought at a second-hand shop. The egg cracks into an ancient Phoenix, a beautiful bird with a singular personality. This exotic creature reveals that the carpet has magic powers. It can grant the children three wishes a day and transport them anywhere they want. Who would get bored hanging out with an eccentric Phoenix and riding on a magic carpet? Join the children in their new adventure and enjoy this amusing story..
The Story of the Amulet
The last time Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane saw the Psammead, they promised not to ask it any further wishes. All they hoped for was to see it again, one more time. And this moment has come. On their way to St James’s Park, the children find the Psammead captive in a cage at a shop that sells all sorts of merchandise. They manage to rescue their old friend and they all embark together in a new adventure by means of an amulet —half of it— that the children buy at the shop, following the Psammead’s advice. In order to find the other half of this wish-granting amulet, the children and the Psammead go on incredible trips through time and place, visiting ancient civilizations and meeting famous historical figures. However, getting hold of the missing part is not as easy as they’d thought. Going back and forth in time, dealing with countless hazards, will they finally make it and get back home safe?
The Wallypug of Why is the first children’s novel written by the prolific English author G. E. Farrow. It was first published in 1895 in London by Hutchinson & Co. In the tradition of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Farrow certainly knew how to create marvellous stories resorting to coined words, amusing puns and gently mocking caricatures. The novel was a popular success at the beginning of the twentieth century and inaugurated a series of Wallypug sequels. Rich in nonsense and absurd situations, The Wallypug of Why humorously depicts realities of late-Victorian life. Its protagonist, Girlie, finds a letter written by her youngest brother that embarks her on a great adventure. She has to solve a mystery—What is a Goo? Hand in hand with her talking doll Dumpsey Deazil, the little girl magically travels to Why. This fantasy land is a topsy-turvy place ruled by the Wallypug, a lovable man and a very particular kind of King, one that is always expected to follow the orders from his subjects and address them as Your Majesty. Why is inhabited by extremely singular characters with curious habits and personalities. In her trip, Girlie meets many of these personages and takes part in hilarious situations and exchanges in which plays upon words are protagonists. The Wallypug of Why is a remarkable book, fresh and witty, that won the heart of many generations a century ago and deserves to be rediscovered and enjoyed by today’s readers, children and grownups alike.
The Magical Monarch of Mo is the first children book L. Frank Baum ever wrote. It was published at the beginning of the twentieth century, just some time after The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was released. Somehow, the land of Mo, Baum’s first creation, was unfairly overshadowed by the great success of Oz. The Magical Monarch of Mo is a collection of stories about the king of this incredible land, his royal family and his people. The stories, all of them rather nonsensical and truly hilarious, deal with the most absurd topics. A purple dragon, an ice-cream cow, a wise donkey, a bad tempered princess and some civilized monkeys are only some of the characters that make of this episodic novel an amusing read for both children and grownups.
Since 1900, when L. Frank Baum introduced to the children of America The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and all the other exciting characters who inhabit the land of Oz, these delightful fairy tales have stimulated the imagination of millions of young readers.
These are stories which are genuine fantasy—creative, funny, tender, exciting and surprising. Filled with the rarest and most absurd creatures, each of the 14 volumes which now comprise the series, has been eagerly sought out by generation after generation until today they are known to all except the very young or those who were never young at all.
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It is in this book that Oz is “discovered.” A little Kansas girl—Dorothy Gale—is carried in her house to Oz when a cyclone whisks it through the sky. As the house lands in the Munchkin Country, one of the four great countries of Oz, it sends Dorothy off on her first adventure in this wonderful land. On her way, she finds the Scarecrow, meets the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. Since this book appeared, more than a century ago, we have learned many marvelous things about the Land of Oz.
This sequel to The Wizard of Oz deals entirely with the early history of Oz. No one from the “great outside world” appears in it. It takes its readers on a series of incredible adventures with Tip, a small boy who runs away from old Mombi, the witch, taking with him Jack Pumpkinhead and the wooden Saw-Horse. The Land of Oz ends with an amazing surprise that will delight you.
Few of the Oz books are as crowded with exciting Oz happenings as this one. Not only does it bring Dorothy back to Oz on her second visit, but it introduces her to Princess Ozma. The book relates Ozma’s first important adventure and it introduces for the first time such famous Oz characters as Tik-Tok the mechanical man, Billina the hen, the Hungry Tiger and the Nome King. Most of the adventures in this book take place outside Oz, in the Land of Ev and the Nome Kingdom. Scarcely a page fails to quiver with excitement, magic and adventure.
Of course, everyone always predicted it would happen! And in this book it does—the Wizard comes back to Oz to stay. Best of all, he comes with Dorothy, who is having adventure number three that leads her to Oz. In this book we meet Dorothy’s pink kitten, Eureka, whose manners need adjusting badly, and two good friends—Jim the cabhorse and Zeb, Dorothy’s young cousin, who works on a ranch as a hired boy.
We like to think of this volume as “The Party Book of Oz.” Almost everyone loves a party and when Ozma has a birthday party with notables from every part of fairyland attending—well! —, it is just like attending Ozma’s party in person. You meet the famous of Oz, and lots of others, such as Queen Zixi of Ix, John Dough, Chick the Cherub, the Queen of Merryland, Para Bruin the rubber bear and—best of all—Santa Claus himself! Of course there are lots of adventures on that famous road to Oz before the party, during which Dorothy, on her way to Oz for the fourth time, meets such heart-warming characters as the Shaggy Man, Button-Bright, and lovely Polychrome, daughter of the rainbow.
Here is a “double” story of Oz. While Dorothy, her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry experience the events that lead to their going to Oz to make their home in the Emerald City, the wicked Nome King is plotting to conquer Oz and enslave its people. Later we go with Dorothy and her friends in the Red Wagon on a grand tour of Oz that is simply packed with excitement and events.
Here, the Patchwork Girl is brought to life by Dr. Pipt’s magic Powder of Life. From that moment on the action never slows down in this exciting book. It tells of Ojo’s quest for the strange ingredients necessary to brew a magic liquid that will release his Unk Nunkie from a spell. In addition to the Patchwork Girl, Ojo and Unk Nunkie, this book introduces such famous Oz creatures as the Woozy and Bungle the glass cat. Oz certainly has become a merrier, happier land since the Patchwork Girl came to life.
For the second time, a little girl from the United States comes to Oz. Betsy Bobbin is shipwrecked in the Nonestic Ocean with her friend Hank the mule. The two drift to shore in the Rose Kingdom on a fragment of wreckage. Betsy meets the Shaggy Man and accompanies him to the Nome Kingdom, where Shaggy hopes to release his brother. On their way, one fascinating adventure follows another. They meet Queen Ann Soforth of Oogaboo and her army, and lovely Polychrome; they rescue Tik-Tok; and are dropped through a Hollow Tube to the other side of the world where they meet Quox, the dragon. You’ll find it one of the most exciting of all the Oz books.
This is the Oz book which L. Frank Baum considered his best. It starts quietly enough with Trot and Cap’n Bill rowing along a shore of the Pacific Ocean to visit one of the many caves near their home on the California coast. Suddenly, a mighty whirlpool engulfs them. The old sailorman and the little girl are miraculously saved and regain consciousness to find themselves in a sea cavern. To this day, Trot asserts she felt mermaid arms about her during those terrible moments under water. From here on, one perilous adventure crowds in upon another.
Prince Inga of Pingaree is the boy hero of this fine story of peril-filled adventure in the islands of the Nonestic Ocean. King Rinkitink provides comic relief, and by the time you reach the final page you will love this fat, jolly little king. Bilbil the goat, with his surly disposition, provides a fine contrast to Rinkitink’s merriment and Prince Inga’s bravery and courage in the face of danger. Some may say that the three magic pearls are the real heroes of this story, but the pearls would have been of little use to King Kitticut and Queen Garee if Prince Inga hadn’t used them wisely and courageously.
As soon as it is discovered that Ozma is lost—and with her all the important magical instruments in Oz—search parties, one for each of the four countries of Oz, set out to find her. We follow the adventures of the party headed by Dorothy and the Wizard, who explore unknown parts of the Winkie Country in search of Ozma. How Ozma is found, and where she has been, will surprise you. Frogman, a new character, is introduced in this book.
When Woot wanders into the splendid tin castle of Nick Chopper, the Tin Woodman and Emperor of the Winkies, he meets the Scarecrow, who is visiting his old friend. The Tin Woodman tells Woot the story of how he had once been a flesh-and-blood woodman in love with a maiden named Nimmie Aimee. Woot suggests that since the Tin Woodman now has a kind and loving heart, it is his duty to find Nimmie Aimee and make her Empress of the Winkies. The Scarecrow agrees, so the three set off to search for the girl. No less surprising than the adventures encountered on the journey is Nimmie Aimee’s reception of her former suitor.
Old Ruggedo, the former Nome King, comes to Oz for the second time, and makes more trouble than he did on his first visit. Ruggedo never gives up the idea of conquering Oz, and this time he has the advantage of being in the country without Ozma’s knowledge. Also, he has the magic and somewhat grudging help of Kiki Aru, the Munchkin boy who is illegally practicing the art. If you like magic, then this is a book for you. There’s magic on every page, and everyone in the story eventually is transformed into something else, or bewitched in one way or another. Even the wild animals in the great Forest of Gugu do not escape.
This is the last Oz book written by L. Frank Baum. It is one of the best in the series, with Dorothy, Ozma, and Glinda in an adventure that takes them to an amazing crystal-domed city on an enchanted island. This island is situated in a lake in the Gillikin Country. Ozma and Glinda are confronted by powerful magic and determined enemies. For a time Dorothy and Ozma are prisoners in the crystal-domed city which is able to submerge below the surface of the lake. Few of the Oz books equal this one in suspense and mystery—a story that is truly “out of this world.”
Ozma of Oz by is crowded with exciting Oz happenings. Not only does it bring Dorothy back to Oz on her second visit, but it introduces her to Princess Ozma. The book relates Ozma’s first important adventure and it introduces for the first time such famous Oz characters as Tik-Tok the mechanical man, Billina the hen, the Hungry Tiger and the Nome King. Most of the adventures in this book take place outside Oz, in the Land of Ev and the Nome Kingdom. Scarcely a page fails to quiver with excitement, magic and adventure.
The Land of Oz is the sequel to The Wizard of Oz and deals entirely with the early history of Oz. No one from the “great outside world” appears in it. It takes its readers on a series of incredible adventures with Tip, a small boy who runs away from old Mombi, the witch, taking with him Jack Pumpkinhead and the wooden Saw-Horse. The Land of Oz ends with an amazing surprise that will delight you.
The Adventures of a Brownie is a delightful children book written in 1908 by the English novelist and poet Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. It tells the stories of a charming magic elf that lives in an old house coal-cellar. Brownie loves to hang out with the children of the household and play pranks to the grownups. Although he can be rather mischievous sometimes, especially with the gardener and the cook, he is a great companion to the little people of the house, as he likes to call his young friends.
