The Psammead

The Psammead, or the Gifts was originally published as stories to the Strand Magazine in 1900. The three resulting stories in the trilogy are expanded versions of those stories. They include Five Children and It (1902), The Phoenix and the Carpet (1904) and the Story of the Amulet (1906).

These childrens stories involve five children who move to the countryside and find a magical fairy that initially grants them wishes, however each one goes terribly wrong. Then they get a new carpet for the play room and find an egg inside which hatches into a Phoenix and turns the carpet into a magical and fantastic ride. The Phoenix also gives comical resulting wishes. Finally, Psammead returns for the final episode and the children experience adventure and excitement as they delve into the world of fantastic happenings.