The Phoenix and the Carpet facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Edith Nesbit |
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| Illustrator | H. R. Millar |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Psammead Trilogy |
| Genre | Fantasy, Children's novel |
| Publisher | Newnes |
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Publication date
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1904 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Preceded by | Five Children and It |
| Followed by | The Story of the Amulet |
The Phoenix and the Carpet is an exciting fantasy book for children. It was written by E. Nesbit and first came out in 1904. This book is the second part of a three-book series. The first book is Five Children and It (1902).
The story follows the same five children: Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane, and their baby brother, the Lamb. Their adventures begin when their old nursery carpet gets burned by accident. To replace it, their parents buy a new second-hand carpet. The children soon find a glowing egg hidden inside this new carpet.
When the egg accidentally falls into the fire, it hatches! Out pops a golden, talking Phoenix. The Phoenix tells them that their new carpet is magic. It can grant them three wishes every day. The children and the Phoenix go on many amazing adventures. These adventures eventually wear out their magic carpet. The story continues in the third book of the series, The Story of the Amulet (1906).
Contents
The Story
This book is the middle part of a three-book series. It starts after Five Children and It and ends before The Story of the Amulet. In this story, the children live at home in London with both their parents. This is different from the other books where they are often away from home. A big theme in The Phoenix and the Carpet is fire.
The story begins just before November 5th, also known as Guy Fawkes Night in Britain. On this night, people light bonfires and set off fireworks. The four older children have saved up some fireworks. But they are too excited to wait. They decide to light a few in their nursery. This causes a fire that burns their old carpet.
To replace it, their parents buy a used carpet. The children find a strange, glowing egg inside it. Robert accidentally knocks the egg into the fire. Suddenly, it hatches! A golden, talking Phoenix appears.
The Phoenix explains that the carpet is magic. It can take the children anywhere they wish in the present time. However, it can only grant three wishes each day. The children and the Phoenix go on many exciting trips.
Once, the youngest child, the Lamb, crawls onto the carpet. He babbles and then vanishes! Everyone is scared, but it turns out he just wanted to be with his mother.
Sometimes, the children get into trouble. The Phoenix can't always help them alone. So, he finds the Psammead, a magical creature from the first book. The Psammead grants a wish to help the children. At the end, the carpet also asks the Psammead for a wish for the Phoenix. These are the only times the Psammead appears in this story.
The story shows London during the time of Edward VII. At one point, the children and the Phoenix visit the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company. The Phoenix, who is quite proud, thinks it's a temple built for him. He believes the people working there are his followers. The children also meet two older boys, Herb and Ike. These boys try to steal the Phoenix.
Four of the children (without the Lamb) go to a Christmas play in London. They sneak the Phoenix inside Robert's coat. The Phoenix gets so excited by the play that he accidentally sets the theater on fire! But everything turns out fine. The Phoenix magically fixes the damage. No one gets hurt, and the theater is perfectly fine again.
One interesting thing about The Phoenix and the Carpet is how the magical Phoenix treats the children. He doesn't treat them all the same. The Phoenix likes Robert the most. This is because Robert accidentally put the Phoenix's egg in the fire. This special treatment isn't always easy for Robert. He often has to hide the Phoenix from his parents.
In the last chapter, the Phoenix says his life cycle is ending. He needs to be reborn. He explains that living with the children has made him more tired than living in the wild. He lays a new egg. The children, following the Phoenix's directions, prepare a special altar. The Phoenix then burns himself up on it.
The magic carpet is also at the end of its life. It was not meant to be walked on so much. The Phoenix asks the carpet to take the new egg to a safe place. This egg won't hatch for another 2,000 years.
The story has a happy ending. The children receive a package of gifts from a "secret helper." This helper is the Phoenix, who used a wish from the Psammead to send the gifts. Robert also gets a single golden feather, but it vanishes by evening.
In the last book of the series, The Story of the Amulet, the children travel far back in time. They meet the Phoenix there. But the Phoenix doesn't recognize them. This is because the events of The Phoenix and the Carpet haven't happened yet in that past time.
Chapter Highlights
The Egg
When their old carpet burns from fireworks, the children get a new one. They find a mysterious egg inside it. Robert accidentally rolls the egg into the fire. Out hatches the Phoenix, who tells them about the magic carpet.
Topless Tower
The children go on their first adventure with the carpet and the Phoenix. They find treasure but also learn the carpet's limits. The Psammead helps rescue them with a wish.
The Queen Cook
The children go on an adventure to help the Lamb with whooping cough. They have to bring their cook along. On a sunny tropical island, the natives think the Cook is a queen. She is happy to stay there.
Two Bazaars
The children use the carpet to go to India. They want to find things for their mother to sell at her market. Things get tricky when the carpet itself is sold!
The Temple
After helping the children with the weather, the Phoenix asks to visit one of his temples. At the "temple," the children and Phoenix are honored guests. The people there think it was all a dream after they leave.
Doing Good
The carpet takes the children to do a good deed. They meet a sad French family. The children return their family treasure to them, which they found in Chapter 2.
Mews from Persia
The children are supposed to meet their aunt at the train station. But Robert forgot to send their mother's instructions. The children go home alone and break into their own house. The carpet wants to visit its home, so the children let it go. The carpet brings back 199 Persian cats!
The Cats, the Cow and the Burglar
The carpet takes away the small animals it brought for the cats to eat. Instead, it brings a cow. Jane talks to a burglar. She finds him kind and gives him the cats to sell.
The Burglar’s Bride
The children take the burglar to the tropical island. Their former cook is now queen there. The cook and the burglar like each other. The carpet is sent to get a clergyman to marry them.
The Hole in the Carpet
Even though the carpet is damaged, the children want one more adventure. Robert and Jane fall through a hole in the carpet. The carpet continues with Cyril and Anthea to their Uncle Reginald. Jane and Robert fall into a house and meet the clergyman. The Phoenix gets help from the Psammead to rescue them.
The Beginning of the End
The children go to the theater with the Phoenix. The Phoenix flies around and starts a fire. The carpet brings the children home safely.
The End of The End
The Phoenix and the Carpet leave. But the Phoenix sends the children all the toys they ever wanted.
Main Characters
Cyril
Cyril is the oldest of the five children. His nickname is Squirrel. He often acts as the leader and is very sensible. Cyril usually makes the main decisions for the children. He thinks about what is right when making choices.
Anthea
Anthea is the second oldest child. Her nickname is Pantha or Panther. She often acts like a mother figure. She is polite, kind, and well-behaved. Anthea also thinks about what is fair when helping with decisions. She is good at sewing and feels bad when the carpet gets damaged.
Robert
Robert is the third oldest child. His nicknames are Bob or Bobs. The Phoenix likes him the most because he accidentally dropped the egg into the fire. Robert often shares "facts" he learned from his father. He is the one who remembers to bring candles on their adventures. He also tries to protect his sisters and the Phoenix.
Jane
Jane is the fourth child in the family. Her nickname is Pussy. She is shown as innocent and sometimes scared. She needs protection from the boys. Jane is the one who convinces the burglar to milk the cow instead of robbing their house.
Lamb/Hilary
The Lamb is the baby and youngest child. His real name, Hilary, is mentioned in the first book. He is curious and relies on others. He shows how innocent young children are. His solo trip on the carpet is one reason the children decide the Phoenix and carpet must leave.
Phoenix
The Phoenix is a proud and a bit boastful creature. But he secretly cares for the children, especially when they are in trouble. He is also lonely and loves to be praised. The Phoenix often makes decisions for the children. He also helps rescue them when they are stuck. He is the only one who truly understands the magic carpet.
Carpet
The Carpet doesn't speak, but it is very important. It cannot think for itself. It is loyal and strong. It puts up with the children using it a lot. Even though the carpet sometimes gets the children into trouble, it also helps them get out of it.
Supporting Characters
Father
The children's father is not in the story very much. He plays with the children sometimes. But he leaves most of the child-rearing to the mother. He is the one who sends the older children to the play. He represents a typical father from the 19th century.
Mother
The mother is very caring, especially about the Lamb. She gives the other children more freedom. She often goes out to meet friends and attend social events like the market.
Cook
At the start of the story, the cook is often annoyed by the children. She sees them as a problem. But when she becomes Queen of the island natives, she changes. She becomes calm, happy, and enjoys being praised. She believes she is in a long dream on the island.
Burglar
The Burglar is simple, kind, and a bit new to being a burglar. Jane convinces him to milk the cow instead of robbing the house. He even takes the cats, which he doesn't like. He goes to jail for selling the cats. But after the children free him, he marries the cook.
Reverend Septimus Blenkinsop
The Reverend marries the cook and the burglar. He is friendly and honest. He is also curious about magic and unknown things. He is also a scientist and studies plants.
Psammead
The Psammead is a magical creature from the first book. Only the children can see it. This creature often appears to rescue the children from difficult situations.
Themes in the Story
Intrusion Fantasy
The Phoenix and the Carpet is a type of fantasy called "intrusion fantasy." This means magical things, like the Phoenix and the flying carpet, enter the normal world. Usually, people are surprised by these magical things. But the children in this book are not surprised. They have already met magical creatures in Five Children and It. The adults in the book don't believe in the magic. They try to explain it away as a dream or madness.
Social Class
E. Nesbit wrote for middle-class readers. This book shows some common ideas about different social classes. For example, the cook, who is a lower-class character, sometimes speaks in a way that sounds ungrammatical. The upper class, like the children's parents, have money and free time. They can go to the theater.
How Children Are Shown
Nesbit was known for writing realistic child characters. They are described as "believable middle-class children" who have many adventures. They are usually good and mean well. But they also argue and get into trouble. They almost burn down their nursery with fireworks. They call each other names and argue over small things. Still, they look out for each other and know right from wrong. Nesbit shows that children are not always perfect little angels.
Racial Issues
Some people have said that Nesbit's books have parts that might be seen as racist. In Chapter 3 of this book, the children meet people with copper-colored skin. They immediately think these people are wild cannibals.
Adaptations
The novel has been made into films and TV shows at least four times. The BBC made three TV series:
- A week of Jackanory in 1965.
- Another series written by John Tully in 1976.
- The Phoenix and the Carpet in 1997, with a new script by Helen Cresswell.
A movie called The Phoenix and the Magic Carpet came out in 1995. It was written by Florence Fox and directed by Zoran Perisic. It starred Peter Ustinov as Grandfather and the voice of the Phoenix. Dee Wallace played the Mother.
Publication Details
- 1904, UK, Newnes, hardback (first edition)
- 1956, UK, Ernest Benn, hardback special edition for the Phoenix Assurance Company
- 1978, USA, Pergamon Press, June 1978, hardback
- 1995, UK, Puffin Books, 23 February 1995, paperback
- 1995, UK, Wordsworth Editions, March 1995, paperback
- 1999, USA, Yestermorrow Inc, April 1999, paperback
- 2003, UK, Wordsworth Editions, April 2003, paperback
