Review: The Phoenix and the Carpet, by E. Nesbit
My friend Lisa told me that the second and third books of this series were better than the first one (E. Nesbit’s Five Children and It), and she was right about the second book, at least. The Phoenix and the Carpet is about the continued adventures of the children.
In this book, the mom buys a rug and an egg falls out of it. The egg contains a phoenix, who gets the kids involved in various adventures. The phoenix, of course, has its own take on the world. One of my favorite scenes occurs in an insurance office, with the insurance salespersons singing about their products as if the songs were hymns to the phoenix, with the phoenix critiquing them.
So, yes, the second book is better than the first, but it’s still a pretty low bar. However, if yu are not happy unless you read a complete series, it won’t do any harm to try this one, too.
Not Just Another Grouchy Grammarian 