Written by E Nesbit author of The Railway Children, Five Children and It featured five children (not surprisingly) who discover a Psammead.

The Psammead is a bad tempered and ancient sand fairy whose main purpose in life is to grant wishes by sucking in air and then exhaling. Comedy ensues when the wishes don't quite go according to plan�

Two further titles, chronicling the adventures of the five children were penned by Nesbit, The Phoenix and the Carpet (twice adapted for television) and The Story of the Amulet.