-
The Psammead Trilogy
- Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet
- Narrated by: Cathy Dobson
- Series: The Psammead Trilogy, Book 1-3
- Length: 21 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $54.54
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Five Children and It
- By: E. Nesbit
- Narrated by: Lynda Bellingham
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril and the Lamb are on holiday at the White House, a beautiful place on the edge of a hill with a chalk quarry one side and a gravel-pit on the other. Before they have even been there a week, they make an amazing discovery. Digging in the gravel-pit, they find a fairy! The Psammead is brown, furry, fat and shaped like a spider- as well as being very old, and very grumpy. But most importantly, the creature can grant wishes, and the children are soon having the most wonderful adventures...
-
-
The only problem is that it's not longer!
- By Mel on 08-15-17
By: E. Nesbit
-
The Black Star of Kingston
- By: S. D. Smith
- Narrated by: Eric Fritzius
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A century before Heather and Picket's adventures in The Green Ember, a displaced community fights for hope on the ragged edge of survival. Whitson Mariner and Fleck Blackstar face old fears and new enemies, forging a legend that will echo through the ages.
-
-
An Enchanting Tale
- By BookWorm on 02-28-16
By: S. D. Smith
-
The Railway Children
- By: E. Nesbit
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Father has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Now Mother has moved Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis from London to an old English country house. Missing the hustle and bustle of the city, the children are ecstatic to find that their new home is near a railway station. Making friends with both the porter and the station master is great fun. So is waving to a kindly old gentleman who rides through on the 9:15 every morning. When mother gets sick, it is he to whom they turn for help. And later, when a fortunate twist of fate returns their father to them, they are surprised to find the old gentleman involved once again.
-
-
Excellent narration
- By Greenleaf on 11-24-17
By: E. Nesbit
-
The Enchanted Castle
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: Johanna Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jimmy, Gerald, and Cathy discover an enchanted garden and wake a beautiful princess from a hundred-year-sleep - only to have her immediately made invisible by a magic ring. The quest to rescue her from her own magic proves difficult, humorous, and at times very frightening.
-
-
Wonderful!
- By Molly on 02-06-12
By: Edith Nesbit
-
Swallows and Amazons
- By: Arthur Ransome
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Swallows and Amazons, the book that started it all in 1930, introduces the Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat "Swallow," and the two intrepid Amazons, plucky Nancy and Peggy Blackett.
-
-
Idyllic, Funny, Vivid Childhood Adventure-Play
- By Jefferson on 02-05-11
By: Arthur Ransome
-
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: David Thorn, Bobbie Frohman, Laurallee Westaway
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edith Nesbit re-tells the stories of William Shakespeare's plays, making them accessible to children, while evoking the drama and excitement of the originals.
-
-
Frustrating
- By Michele Elliott on 10-08-10
By: Edith Nesbit
-
Five Children and It
- By: E. Nesbit
- Narrated by: Lynda Bellingham
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert, Anthea, Jane, Cyril and the Lamb are on holiday at the White House, a beautiful place on the edge of a hill with a chalk quarry one side and a gravel-pit on the other. Before they have even been there a week, they make an amazing discovery. Digging in the gravel-pit, they find a fairy! The Psammead is brown, furry, fat and shaped like a spider- as well as being very old, and very grumpy. But most importantly, the creature can grant wishes, and the children are soon having the most wonderful adventures...
-
-
The only problem is that it's not longer!
- By Mel on 08-15-17
By: E. Nesbit
-
The Black Star of Kingston
- By: S. D. Smith
- Narrated by: Eric Fritzius
- Length: 2 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A century before Heather and Picket's adventures in The Green Ember, a displaced community fights for hope on the ragged edge of survival. Whitson Mariner and Fleck Blackstar face old fears and new enemies, forging a legend that will echo through the ages.
-
-
An Enchanting Tale
- By BookWorm on 02-28-16
By: S. D. Smith
-
The Railway Children
- By: E. Nesbit
- Narrated by: Virginia Leishman
- Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Father has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Now Mother has moved Roberta, Peter, and Phyllis from London to an old English country house. Missing the hustle and bustle of the city, the children are ecstatic to find that their new home is near a railway station. Making friends with both the porter and the station master is great fun. So is waving to a kindly old gentleman who rides through on the 9:15 every morning. When mother gets sick, it is he to whom they turn for help. And later, when a fortunate twist of fate returns their father to them, they are surprised to find the old gentleman involved once again.
-
-
Excellent narration
- By Greenleaf on 11-24-17
By: E. Nesbit
-
The Enchanted Castle
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: Johanna Ward
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jimmy, Gerald, and Cathy discover an enchanted garden and wake a beautiful princess from a hundred-year-sleep - only to have her immediately made invisible by a magic ring. The quest to rescue her from her own magic proves difficult, humorous, and at times very frightening.
-
-
Wonderful!
- By Molly on 02-06-12
By: Edith Nesbit
-
Swallows and Amazons
- By: Arthur Ransome
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Swallows and Amazons, the book that started it all in 1930, introduces the Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat "Swallow," and the two intrepid Amazons, plucky Nancy and Peggy Blackett.
-
-
Idyllic, Funny, Vivid Childhood Adventure-Play
- By Jefferson on 02-05-11
By: Arthur Ransome
-
Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: David Thorn, Bobbie Frohman, Laurallee Westaway
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edith Nesbit re-tells the stories of William Shakespeare's plays, making them accessible to children, while evoking the drama and excitement of the originals.
-
-
Frustrating
- By Michele Elliott on 10-08-10
By: Edith Nesbit
-
The Story of the Treasure Seekers
- Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune
- By: Edith Nesbit
- Narrated by: Cathy Dobson
- Length: 5 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1899, The Story of the Treasure Seekers tells the tale of the Bastable children, Dora, Oswald, Dickie, Noel, Alice and H.O. (short for Horace Octavius) and their attempts to restore the fallen fortunes of their family. They devise a series of plans to find or make money, varying from digging for treasure to being bandits, from going into business to rescuing rich elderly gentlemen from deadly peril.
-
-
Holy anti-Semitic stereotype, Batman!
- By T Rothschadl on 03-29-19
By: Edith Nesbit
-
The Book of Dragons
- By: E. Nesbit
- Narrated by: Nicki White, Matt Stewart
- Length: 4 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Eight enchanting short stories by E. Nesbit, featuring children and their misadventures with dragons. Although written over a 100 years ago, these magical tales are timeless classics and will appeal to all ages.
-
-
For younger audiences, it's perfectly fine.
- By Zachary Kaplan on 01-10-20
By: E. Nesbit
-
Doctor Dolittle: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle; The Story of Doctor Dolittle; Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
- By: Hugh Lofting
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rediscover the children’s literature classic with three novels from the beloved series: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, The Story of Doctor Dolittle, and Doctor Dolittle’s Post Office!
-
-
A wonderful bedtime story!
- By Holly Masri on 05-02-20
By: Hugh Lofting
-
A Year in Brambly Hedge
- By: Jill Barklem
- Narrated by: John Moffatt
- Length: 1 hr
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The mice of Brambly Hedge have many adventures but they always have time for fun too. All through the year, they mark the seasons with feasts and festivities and, of course, the mice never miss an opportunity to meet and celebrate. This collection contains four classic stories following their adventures throughout the year.
-
-
Approval
- By Jeremy Greening on 10-03-20
By: Jill Barklem
-
The Wind in the Willows
- By: Kenneth Grahame
- Narrated by: Michael Hordern
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is a timeless tale of waterside Britain that has been loved by generations of children and acclaimed as a classic. The story of Mole, Ratty, Badger, and Toad, and their escapades, whether messing about on the river or poop-pooping in Toad's shiny new car, cannot fail to enchant.
-
-
My favorate read version of the willows!
- By J. Glemby on 09-18-14
By: Kenneth Grahame
-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!
-
-
Narrator is GREAT!
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-20
By: J.K. Rowling
-
The Saturdays
- By: Elizabeth Enright
- Narrated by: Pamela Dillman
- Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The four Melendy children live with their father and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper, in a worn but comfortable brownstone in New York City. There's thirteen-year-old Mona, who has decided to become an actress; twelve-year-old mischievous Rush; ten-year-old Randy who loves to dance and paint; and thoughtful Oliver, who is just six-years-old.
-
-
Excellent for children and adults
- By Dale on 05-15-04
-
Cameron and Botox's Adventures
- Cameron and Botox's Adventures, Book 1
- By: Corey Smith
- Narrated by: Ben Hauck
- Length: 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Cameron, a five-year-old boy with a big imagination, first met Botox, the wrinkleless little bulldog, he thought he knew everything about dogs. But he will discover that’s not so. Botox, our four-legged protagonist with a huge imagination, is about to teach Cameron an amazing lesson. Can anybody hear him? Until now, nobody could hear him. But thanks to his imagination, Cameron is the only person who can hear Botox talk, while everyone only hear him barking.
-
-
I enjoyed the book
- By Anonymous User on 09-22-20
By: Corey Smith
-
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 4 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Four adventurous siblings - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie - step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change...and a great sacrifice.
-
-
Sound level a small problem
- By Valerie on 08-05-05
By: C. S. Lewis
-
Tumtum and Nutmeg
- By: Emily Bearn
- Narrated by: Bill Wallis
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tumtum and Nutmeg is the first of a series of children's books by author Emily Bearn. The book is about Mr and Mrs Nutmouse who live in Nutmouse Hall, situated within the broom cupboard of Rose Cottage. Tumtum and Nutmeg have a wonderful life but the children who live in Rose Cottage, Arthur and Lucy, are miserable. So, one day Tumtum and Nutmeg decide to cheer them up.
-
-
I wanted to love it
- By Lindsey McDonald on 04-10-19
By: Emily Bearn
-
At the Back of the North Wind
- By: George MacDonald
- Narrated by: Flo Gibson
- Length: 8 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the story of the mystical travels of Diamond, a coachman's son, through distant lands and strange events while riding on the back of the beautiful North Wind.
-
-
When the Angels Are Too Happy to Sing Sense
- By Vicky on 01-25-18
By: George MacDonald
-
All-of-a-Kind Family
- By: Sydney Taylor
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's the turn of the 20th century in New York's Lower East Side and a sense of adventure and excitement abounds for five young sisters. Follow along on their adventures and experience their holiday fun.
-
-
Wonderful story about family life.
- By lavenderknitter on 10-27-15
By: Sydney Taylor
Publisher's Summary
Edith Nesbit was to children in the early 20th century what J.K. Rowling is to today's young generation. Magic, mythical creatures, time travel, charms, words of power... Nesbit's stories have it all.
This recording is the complete collection of Edith Nesbit's Psammead series, comprising three captivating stories:
Five Children and It.The story begins when a group of five children - Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their baby brother, the Lamb - move from London to the countryside of Kent. While playing in a gravel pit, they discover a rather grumpy, ugly and occasionally malevolent sand-fairy known as the Psammead who is compelled to grant one wish of theirs per day. The effects of each wish last until sundown. All the wishes granted to the children go hilariously wrong. When they wish to be beautiful, nobody recognises them and they are shut out of the house. When they wish to be rich, they get a stack of gold coins but nobody will take them. When they wish for wings they find themselves stuck on a tall tower at sunset. When they wish that their baby brother was older, he turns into a grown-up and bosses them about. When Robert wishes he was bigger than the baker's boy (who has beaten him in a scrap) he becomes eleven feet tall. There are many more adventures... but you will need to listen and find out for yourselves....
The Phoenix and the Carpet. This is the second story about Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their baby brother, the Lamb - who live in London. One day their mother buys a new carpet for the nursery which mysteriously contains a stone egg. When the egg falls into the fire by accident, nobody can possibly imagine what adventures will be unleashed. The egg hatches the Phoenix who reveals that the carpet is in fact a magic wishing carpet, which will take the children on a rollercoaster ride of adventures, scrapes and mishaps. They end up stuck inside a tunnel with buried treasure, on a sunny Southern shore where their cook is made Queen of the Island, having tea with the Rania in India, and even when they are at home in Camden town they mysteriously and unexpectedly become the owners of an unfeasibly large number of cats.
The Story of the Amulet. The magic Psammead is back! This time the four children are stuck in London for the Summer, when they come across the Psammead (or wish-giving sand-fairy), imprisoned in a pet shop. They manage to free him, and he tells them where they can get hold of a magic amulet which will bring them their hearts' desire. Unfortunately when the amulet is secured, it is incomplete. They and the Psammead must travel back into ancient history to see the part of the amulet which was lost. The children experience one breathtaking adventure after another in Babylon, Egypt, the lost city of Atlantis, Tyre...
More from the same
What listeners say about The Psammead Trilogy
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- jaspersu
- 08-06-15
Quaint
The stories definitly feel over a century old, and that's part of the fun of reading it now.
I chose this because The Phoenix and the Carpet is read by a character in another book that I love. That character is reading aloud to children, but stops. I always wondered if the children were left hanging, but now I know that the books are episodic, so just reading to the end of a chapter would be satisfying.
Cathy Dobson's narration is nice. It isn't always easy to tell one child character's voice from the next, but it almost doesn't matter. They do sound different from the adults, the magic creatures and the baby, Lamb.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laeta
- 06-10-19
excellent for family road trip w/ 1 caution
If you wouldn't let your kids read Harry Potter then you probably would not feel comfortable with this series. However it is a great series set in early 1900's England, with fantasy adventures similar to Chronicles of Narnia.
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RR
- 05-29-18
Wonderful story with fantastic narrating
The reader did a wonderful job bringing characters to life in this series. My children, ages 5, 7, and 8 all loved these books, as did I! The British narrator helped bring the language to life, especially words/terms we weren’t familiar with due to culture/time it was written. A great story with all kinds of great discussion topics.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mary in SC
- 03-20-17
A Truly Lovely Story!
My 9 year old daughter and I have truly loved listening to this enchanting and wonderful story! So beautifully narrated, too!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Red
- 08-21-18
good but kind of racist
worth it if you like the characters , although the middle book w the Phoenix is very strange and has very little plot
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lilith
- 03-23-18
Perfect escape
This was a wonderful listen!! & wonderfully performed. Perfect accompaniment for packing up to move! Would have loved to have a magic carpet & a psammead to help me!!! & in many ways I did.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Carmen M Spruill
- 10-22-16
magical
great read. feeds the imagination for young and not so young. great aloud read. fun
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lisa
- 10-13-17
Not my cup of tea
This is a difficult story to read aloud...I know, I tried. So, we purchased this trilogy. The story doesn't get better, despite E. Nesbit being one of the English speaking world's most notable children's authors of all time. In fact, the story get so convoluted at several points my husband asked what kind of morbid tale I was allowing our children to listen to. We were all glad when it was over...even the children, I learned after the fact.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Beleg
- 12-09-20
It’s the best book ever
I hope you can make more other books
like this one. I hope you can
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- L. Pierce
- 10-26-20
We enjoyed all three stories
We enjoyed all three stories. The Phoenix and the Carpet was the children's favorite. Glad to have gotten the trilogy.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- K Bright
- 03-06-15
Enjoyable
I enjoyed this trilogy. Only decided to buy this as I'd purchased Five Children on the Western Front (2014) and in a review it was deemed best to know the original story. At times the narrator stumbles over a word or two and at times you can hear her turn the pages.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Chris Lilly
- 01-29-15
Cornerstone of Children's Literature
This is a fine, slightly off-kilter performance of a fine, slightly off-kilter set of books. Cathy Dobson has a very warm and confiding style, with an old fashioned quality that fits the Edwardian stories. She also reads with a strange catch in her voice, a little hesitation that was at first irritating, but became very engaging. And what tremendous stories! Constantly surprising, constantly inventive, constantly forcing its audience to question, without ever being preachy - whenever there's the possibility of preaching, they remember it's been a long time since dinner, and scoot off home for mutton fritters(!?!). The Lamb, and the petting of the Lamb, is nauseating, but the story with the grown-up Lamb recontextualises even that character.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lucy
- 11-25-19
fantastic
loved every bit of these three stories (the first and last are the best though)
the narrator perfectly matched the tone and language of the time.
I'll never be too old for these books as the childlike imagination of the early 1900's give me the warm fizzles lol,
a very easy listen , would 100% recommend
10/10
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mrs A
- 04-05-16
terrible narration!
love these tales, but the narration was just too much to cope with. very poor!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Les Dor
- 02-11-20
dated
it is an old book with old ways of thinking got bored very quickly with victorian values lol
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- mumstheword
- 06-10-16
Love this story
I love these story's they are so fun and imaginative so really any one could listen to them.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- donna appleby
- 12-25-21
cannot bear the narration
the inflection of the narrator's voice is intolerable .I adore E Nesbit but simply cannot listen to this version.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Michael Hirst
- 08-26-21
Ruined by the performance
For some reason Cathy Dobson, who has a decent speaking voice uses the upward inflection constantly, I was really looking forward to revisiting these books, which I so enjoyed in childhood, but the performance really spoiled this for me.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 07-21-18
Charmingly quaint adventure stories!
This Trilogy has been wonderful to listen to on long car trips with my four children (aged 6 - 12 years.) The magical adventures have captured their imagination and broadened their vocabulary. It has been an education to listen to stories crafted in the early 1900's. While childhood and sibling relationships remain constant no matter the time period, the language use and cultural reflections have helped deepen our understanding of what it might have been like to live, play and adventure a millennium ago.
2 people found this helpful