The Five Children and It

"E Nesbit is brilliant at bringing magic alive and rooting it in something that you feel is real. I’ve been very influenced in the way that she creates her characters. The Psammead is not a conventional fairy. It is a sand fairy with eyes on long horns like snails eyes and can move them in and out like telescopes. It’s got ears like a bat and it is a grumpy hypochondriac – like Mary Poppins , it’s susceptible to flattery. It’s such imaginative and highly individual characterization. She is absolutely marvellous on that! Similarly, with the phoenix, who made me laugh so much. He keeps on referring to himself as ‘My Golden Presence’, in the third person. He’s very vain. One of the reasons I chose The Five Children and It is for the brilliant characterisation. It still feels fresh and original today."