The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now
The Phoenix and the Carpet

The Phoenix and the Carpet

Summary

Anthea, Cyril, Robert, Jane, and the Lamb are back – the Psammead may have vanished but there are plenty of wishes still to be granted.

‘Rain, rain, go away,’ said Anthea; ‘but it never DOES go’

I expect you know how boring it can be to stay indoors on rainy days. it was on one of those dull days that the five children accidentally set their nursery on fire (with fireworks). No one thought that that disastrous day would bring the start of new adventures.

But the new nursery carpet, when it arrives, comes with something odd wrapped inside it: an enormous glowing egg. And inside is the most beautiful bird you’ve ever seen – in fact, not a bird: a noble and fabulous phoenix. New adventures just might have begun…

Includes exclusive content: In the Backstory you can ponder what you would wish for and find out which character you most resemble!

Reviews

  • Earlier generations of children loved Edith Nesbit. So did I, and the ordinarily extraordinary stories still bewitch
    Guardian

About the author

E Nesbit

Edith Nesbit was a mischievous child who grew up into an unconventional adult. With her husband, Hubert Bland, she was one of the founder members of the socialist Fabian Society; their household became a centre of the socialist and literary circles of the times. E. Nesbit turned late to children's writing. Her first children's book, The Treasure Seekers, was published in 1899 to great acclaim. Other books featuring the Bastable children followed, and a series of magical fantasy books, including Five Children and It also became very popular. The Railway Children was first published monthly in the London Magazine in 1905, and published as a book in 1906, which has been in print ever since.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more